A Woman At War
by cchickki
Summary: Marie Docherty is one woman of a select few chosen to join the men of Easy Company in the front lines. She follows her friends into Europe as she learns the nature of camaraderie, and of the heartbreak of war. - Follows the TV series & Donald Malarkey's book 'Easy Company Soldier'
1. Welcome to Camp Toccoa

_Camp Toccoa, Georgia _

_August-November 1942:_

Marie Docherty examined herself in her barracks mirror, inspecting her uniform one final time before she had to join the rest of Easy Company for the first time. She heard rumors about how stern their CO Herbert Sobel was on the company's appearance so she thought it best not to take any chances.

"Girl, you look fine, now come over here and help me!" Marie's friend and fellow female Easy Company soldier, Emilia Valdez, said as she struggled with putting her hair back in a secured bun.

"Okay, hang on." Marie sighed with a slight chuckle as she went over to assist her friend.

"You can never be too careful when it comes to Sobel!" Florence, another one of Marie's friend's from a different company, added.

Marie helped Emilia pull her thick, black hair back and twist it into a nice bun, as they listened to Florence.

Emilia Valdez was a Puerto Rican that had come to Camp Toccoa the same time Marie did. Emilia was a strikingly beautiful woman that made even the sternest, most devoted man do a double take when she walked by. She was tall too, but then again everyone seemed tall to Marie. Marie stood at 5'2 on the dot, which Emilia always teased her about.

Marie on the other hand was neither super pretty or super homely, she was just average. She had a round, youthful face that made her look like she could pass for a fifteen year old instead of a twenty-one year old. She had blond hair that ended at the bottom of her neck, and that almost looked like it could pass for a light brown. She had small, kind eyes that matched her hair's color. When Emilia and Marie first met a month ago, they became friends almost instantly. Emilia was feisty and wise with the same inward stubbornness that Marie possessed when it came to things they believed in.

Florence was from New Jersey, and was full of attitude but good humor. She joined them a few days after they had arrived in Toccoa. Marie wished that they all could be in the same company together, but it couldn't be. Although Marie wasn't as close with the other girls as she was with Emilia, she got along with her the best. Marie did like Florence, but she could be a little vain at times. Marie watched as Florence inspected herself in the mirror, not really checking her uniform, but checking on how great she looked. Emilia always joked that Florence had joined the Army just to flirt with men. The more time Marie spent with Florence, the more she believe it.

"Don't get Marie all worried about someone she hasn't even met yet." Emilia said to Florence.

"Just giving you a head's up, you'll need it. Ta-ta girls, good luck with everything!" Florence left the barracks and waved to them absentmindedly. Emilia shook her head at Florence and chuckled.

"That girl is going to have a hard time adjusting to military life." Emilia laughed.

"Hey, she can do more push ups than the two of us combined." Marie pointed out.

All the women on Camp Toccoa stayed in the same barracks despite being in different companies. There were only six women that were accepted in Camp Toccoa so far, so the idea of women serving in the frontlines was still relatively new. Also the Army wanted to keep women and men as separated as possible when on base to reduce the probability of fraternizing. There were two women from Dog Company, Barbara and Jane, and two women from Fox Company, Diana and Florence. The women had arrived a month after the 506th Parachute Infantry had started, so the men had already known each other for a month. Emilia and Marie had the disadvantage of not knowing the men as long as they'd known each other. Marie hated being late to the part, or feeling like "the new guy" in a group.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Emilia dismissed.

"So, you ready to join the men we'll be following into war?" Marie asked with very little pep. Truth was, she was filled with anxiety at meeting her company. She was afraid that they wouldn't like them, or shun them or something.

"Oh, it won't be that bad, Marie. Let's go make some new friends." Emilia gave her an affectionate pat on the head.

"It's Sobel that I'm worried about." Marie muttered. "I hear nothing but bad things about him."

"Well let's go judge him for ourselves." Emilia opened the barrack door and they both marched out to join the rest of the company.

Sobel was already scolding the men for every little thing that he could pick from them. Marie's stomach sank as she realized that everything said about Sobel was true as she watched him practically bully the men. He looked more like he was sizing them up then trying to instill discipline into them. He was smacking a bayonet on a soldier's helmet when he noticed that Marie and Emilia had arrived and were standing at attention. Sobel scowled at them for a moment, his eyes roaming over their faces and bodies, making Marie inwardly cringe. Sobel pulled out a slip of paper from a pocket on his uniform and looked it over.

"Ah, so you're the women joining our company…" Sobel interjected with little enthusiasm.

"Yes, sir!" Marie and Emilia shouted together.

"Incredible, I spend a month trying to shape these men into the best fit company in the United States Army, and now they send me two women to unravel all my hard work."

Anger boiled in the pit of Marie's stomach. Her father had warned her that this kind of thing was bound to be said when she enlisted, but it still made her mad. Her and Emilia were just as able to go into combat as all of these men.

"Oh well, I've always enjoyed a challenge. But I warn you, women, that if you can't keep up with my men, you'll be pulled out of here before your feet touch the ground!" Sobel warned.

"Sir!" Marie and Emilia responded in unison again.

_Well, I enjoy a challenge, too, dick. I'll enjoy proving you wrong. _Marie thought, furiously. She cursed him over and over again in her head as he went on.

"Valdez, Emilia - Technician Fifth Grade?" Sobel barked.

"Sir!" Emilia shouted again.

It reminded Marie with mild humor of teacher's taking attendance back in school.

"Docherty, Marie - Technician Third Grade?" Sobel barked again.

"Sir!" Marie piped up. He sneered at Marie in disbelief for a moment, making her want to smack him upside the head. Sobel was really not making a good first impression with her at all.

"How can a woman already have a rank as high as yours when she's just started?" Sobel looked like he was about to laugh as if it was all some kind of joke. Her rank wasn't impressively high, she thought, it was only the equivalent to a sergeant.

"I have this rank because of my experiences and from my education, sir." Marie forced her voice to remain level and not say anything through gritted teeth. She hated it whenever someone talked down to her, especially when the reason was just because she was a girl.

"Oh?" Sobel questioned. He looked playfully amused by her response, like he wasn't taking her seriously. This made Marie even more livid. Marie's father had warned her to keep her quick temper in check, but she didn't care, this man was totally unreasonable.

"I graduated _cum laude_ from high school, and I graduated from college with high honors. I got my degree in Nursing, and worked as an RN before enlisting." Marie continued. She was chosen because of her skills and decided to become a combat medic to assist directly in the war efforts. It offended her the way Sobel spoke to her.

Emilia shot her a warning glance through her peripherals. She was afraid Marie would get in trouble because of her tone. The men from Easy looked at Marie, worrying that Sobel would punish her, too. Sobel instead folded up his paper and turned away from them to shout an order.

"We're running, Currahee! Get in your PT gear!" Sobel yelled. He marched off leaving a Lieutenant from Easy Company to turn and address the men to do as Sobel said. Emilia and Marie walked up to join the rest of the company.

"You need to watch your step with that man. He could ban you from being a paratrooper." Emilia warned Marie, but she only rolled her eyes in response.

"Ladies? I'm Richard Winter's." The Lieutenant addressed them. He seemed friendly enough; Marie wished that he were the company's CO instead of Sobel. "We're going to be running Currahee so you should go dress out."

"What's Currahee?" Marie asked, cocking her head.

Winter's laughed bitterly, not at them, but at the anticipation of running Currahee. "You'll find out soon enough, ma'am." Winter's gave them a weary smile then ran off to go dress out.

* * *

Three miles up, three miles down. Marie now understood Winter's reaction to her question.

Running Currahee was one of the most physically challenging things Marie had ever done in her short life. She panted as she tried to keep her pace steady along with the rest of the men. Sobel kept taunting everyone, and screaming "hi-ho silver!" at the top of his lungs every once in a while. It was driving Marie insane, she wished that he'd stop shouting that stupid saying altogether and just be silent for the rest of the run. Emilia didn't look like the run fazed her that much, but Marie then remembered how she told her that she used to run track in middle school, all the way through high school. This must have been a breeze to her, Marie thought, envying her friend a little bit.

A man running next to Marie stumbled and almost fell; by instinct she caught him under his arm and hoisted him back up. He smiled at her in thanks, and she returned the smile, but her smile soon faded as Sobel cut in.

"Do not help that man!" He snapped at her. Marie stuck out her tongue at him when he looked away. She didn't care if it was out of line, she really couldn't stand that man.

"Watch it! What if he saw you!" The man that she helped up warned.

"Yeah, Sobel's a man that you don't want to _really _piss off." Another man added.

"He's such an asshole, though." Marie mumbled. She knew they were right, but it felt good to outwardly express her distaste for Sobel.

"He is, but that's how it is. My name's Warren Muck, but you can call me Skip, and that's Don Malarkey." Muck introduced with a tired smile.

"Marie Docherty." Marie said returning his smile with an equally exhausted one. They had just reached the top of Currahee when Marie knew that they now had to turn and run all the way back down. But it wasn't that bad, Marie talked to Malarkey and Muck the entire time. They quickly became the first and the closest friends that Marie would make in Easy Company, next to Emilia.

"How often do you run on this damned mountain?" Marie asked, feeling very worn out but continued on regardless.

"More time than I can count." Muck replied. Marie was afraid of that, but when it came to Sobel anything was possible.

* * *

Marie and Emilia would spend the rest of the day introducing themselves to the men of Easy Company. Marie hung around with Muck and Malarkey the most when there was down time. It made her happy to learn more about people, especially people that she'd be going to war with. Bonds were important on the battlefield. Muck had told her all about growing up in Tonawanda, and about his girl back home, Faye. Malarkey talked about growing up in Astoria, college, and his girlfriend Bernice.

"What about you, Marie? Where are you from?" Malarkey asked. They were sitting in the mess hall, eating lightly and talking.

"I grew up in Georgia, so I didn't have to come far to get to Toccoa." Marie replied, pushing her food around her tray. "My dad owns an auto-body shop that I used to work part time at, along with my siblings."

"Do you have a boyfriend, or someone special back home, if you don't mind me asking?" Muck asked.

"No, not right now." Marie answered as she shook her head. Being in a relationship really didn't interest Marie at this point in her life. She had just turned twenty-one and she knew she had plenty of time to deal with those kinds of things later in life.

"Marie's really good at scaring off guys rather than attracting them." Emilia informed the boys, giving Marie a playful nudge with her shoulder. Marie shot her an annoyed look but couldn't help smiling herself. Their conversation was cut short when Sobel suddenly burst into the mess hall, causing everyone to stop eating and stand up at attention.

"At ease." Sobel ordered. "I'm only here for the women." Sobel peered over at Marie and Emilia's direction with an irritated scowl and motioned them over. The girls exchanged glances with each other and with Malarkey and Muck before heading over to Sobel.

"Sir." Both girls said as the stood in front of Sobel waiting for more orders.

"Lieutenant Colonel Sink needs to speak with the both of you. Get going." He motioned them out, impatiently. Both girls said yes sir, then rushed out to go talk to Sink.

They found Sink in his office, reading over reports and sipping coffee out of a mug. He saw them enter and stand at attention and stood up to greet them. Marie was nervous that they were in trouble for something, or if Sobel's complaints about women joining his company had made Sink rethink their positions and get them transferred.

"At ease, ladies. It's very nice to see both of you." Sink extended his hand with a smile. Marie and Emilia hesitated before they shook his hand, confused by his drop in formalities. They shook his hand quickly, then waited for him to continue on. "You two will start your specialty training starting tomorrow, but you'll still be joining Easy from time to time on PT runs and regular training. Ms. Docherty, you'll be spending most of your time in the med bay. Ms. Valdez, you'll be spending most of your time with the translators, making maps, and be assisting with engineering."

"Yes, sir." They said in unison.

"You two are great editions to the Army, and will prove to be great role models for young girls whom wish to serve in America's great and powerful military." Sink praised with a smile. Marie wasn't sure why Sink was saying all this to them, but she felt very flattered.

"Thank you, sir." They said in unison again.

"All right, now get back out there and get to work." Sink dismissed them. They saluted and left his office, bewildered.

"What on Earth was that about?" Marie asked Emilia, confused why the man in command of their regiment would call them all the way to his office just to praise them.

"Well you know Lieutenant Colonel Sink was all for letting qualified women serve in the frontlines and be part in the 101st." Emilia reminded her puzzled friend. "He did help pick out us and the other girls from a pack of potential hopefuls."

Marie pondered this for a moment and knew she was right. They were handpicked from the litter, which was a great honor, but also meant that they would have to work extra hard not to disappoint Sink.

"That explains why Sobel must have been unhappy to see us. Sobel must have complained about having women on his company and Sink shot him down." Marie suggested. Emilia nodded in agreement.

"Whatever happened, it's nice to know that Sink has our back at least." Emilia concluded. They returned to the mess hall to finish what was left of their meal.

* * *

The following days for Marie consisted of morning runs on Currahee, training in the med bay, and training for life on the battlefield in the middle of combat. They crawled through pig guts, learned some self-defense, ran some more, and learned how to fire and disassemble a weapon. Marie had spent so much of her time in the med bay that she'd often have to skip meals to catch up with the rest of the company, causing her to get sick in the middle of most of the exercises. Emilia had been busy, too. Marie barely saw her as often as she was used to, but the good thing is that they didn't have to be around Sobel as much as they thought they would.

Easy had to march twelve miles every Friday night, but it didn't bother Marie at all. She didn't mind being outside in the cool air when the sun wasn't up; summer's in Georgia could be brutal and it was nice to have a break from the heat. This also was the best time for Marie to talk to Emilia, Malarkey, and Muck. At the end of the march, Marie and Emilia returned to their barracks, but their return turned out to be unpleasant.

They returned to find Jane sobbing and packing up her things. She looked disorientented with grief as she did so.

"What's going on?" Emilia asked, alarmed. Diana was trying to console her weeping friend, along with Barbara, but Jane wasn't listening to them. Florence was in the corner, biting her nails nervously.

"They're kicking Jane out." Barbara told Emilia, sadly.

"What?! Why?" Marie was shocked. Kicking her out? Why would they do that?

"They… caught me… but…" Jane tried to tell Marie, but she was sobbing too heavily. Diana pulled her into a hug.

"They found out she was fraternizing with one of the men in her company." Diana informed them. Marie and Emilia just stood there, stunned by the news the received.

Marie laid in her bed that night, unable to sleep. She listened to Jane cry softly into her pillow. Her heart went out to the poor girl, although she knew fraternizing was a serious offense. They were all warned against starting romantic relationships with any of the soldiers and officers in the Army, they stressed that above everything else. But love would always find a way, and this time it had spoiled any chances of Jane becoming a paratrooper. She might even be discharged from the military for this. It didn't seem fair, but there was nothing any of them could do about it.

In the morning all the girls hugged Jane goodbye. She started crying again as she embraced all of them. They all promised to write each other so they could keep in touch. They went back into their barracks after Jane had departed. It felt so much more empty now, and if that wasn't enough, Barbara was the only woman in Dog Company now. Marie hoped that she didn't feel too alone with Jane gone.

News of the fraternizing spread like wild fire in Camp Toccoa. This infuriated Marie, it was none of their business what happened between Jane and some guy. Not to mention the fact that Sobel caught wind of this, and how had an idea of how to get her and Emilia kicked out of Easy. Sobel watched Marie like a hawk whenever she talked to Malarkey or Muck now. She knew that he was trying to find evidence of any kind to try to court martial her for fraternization. It made her uneasy whenever Sobel came around because she thought that he was going to accuse her and go off and tell his superiors. Winters noticed Sobel's actions and went out of his way constantly to direct Sobel away from his attempts to falsely accuse her. Marie felt grateful to Winters, although she knew Sobel wouldn't give up until both her and Emilia were gone.

One day Marie had just returned from the med bay, she had only gotten two hours of sleep and hadn't eaten in hours when she was called over by Sobel. He was inspecting his company, finding everything wrong as usual. Marie obediently went over to him and stood weakly at attention. She felt like she was going to faint but she fought it off the best she could.

"Sergeant Docherty, why didn't you join us on Currahee yesterday?" Sobel asked, eyeing her dangerously.

_Seriously? He's doing this now? _Marie thought, annoyed. He had it out for her, no matter what she did.

"I had to report to the med bay all morning and learn about morphine, sir." Marie stated.

"You're a solider in this company, are you not?" Sobel asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Then I expect you to do the same as everyone else. You are to run Currahee, twice, and do so in your full uniform. Not in your PT clothes." Sobel ordered, he looked satisfied as he gave her this order. He was trying to punish her for doing what she was told and she knew she had to obey.

"Lieutenant Sobel, sir, the girl was just doing what she was instructed to do. She hasn't even eaten today, sir-" Nixon started in her defense.

"Enough, 2nd Lieutenant Nixon. She will do what I tell her to do. Your weekend pass is revoked." Sobel snapped at Nixon. Marie felt guilty for him being punished because of her.

"Yes, sir." Marie answered. She saw Muck in the group of men, he gave her a pitied look. Marie saluted Sobel then turned on her heel to head for Currahee.

* * *

On her way up Currahee she had to stop and vomit. Her already empty stomach had grown even emptier and sick as she puked on the dirt path. She tried to continue on, feeling herself stumble as she progressed. She felt painfully nauseous and dizzy; she could feel herself losing focus on the path. Marie couldn't take it anymore, she fell over flat on her stomach and face. The feeling of fainting was now overcoming her as she laid on the ground, unable to will herself to get up. She felt pathetic. If she was overseas in the war right now, she'd wouldn't have any excuses, she'd just be dead most likely. She cursed herself the entire time she laid there, feeling awful that Sobel had got the best of her.

"Hey, Marie! Are you okay?" Marie heard someone call to her, but they sounded too far away. She was too sick to turn her head to look at who it was. The voice got closer and she saw that it was Carwood Lipton and Bill Guarnere.

"My God, Marie, what happened?" Bill asked her, trying to help her up. Her legs wobbled as she tried to put weight on them. Her head lolled on one side; it felt too heavy to carry.

"I couldn't do it… I couldn't finish Currahee…" Marie's voice trembled as she spoke. She felt like such a failure.

"It was irrational that he wanted you to do this in the first place. Let's get you to the infirmary." Lipton tried to lead Marie but she suddenly tried to resist.

"No! If I go back, then Sobel will be right! I'm not fit to be in Easy Company!" Marie cried.

"That's ridiculous! You're dehydrated and starving is all. Come on, you can finish the run once you feel better." Lipton soothed. Guarnere nodded his head in agreement. Marie was reluctant to believe them but she gave in. They both helped her back down Currahee.

"What were you two doing up here, anyway? You're helping me disobey a direct order." Marie asked them.

"We came after you to make sure you're all right." Guarnere told her.

"Really?" Marie was actually surprised that they'd go out of their way to help her.

"Of course! We all care about you." Guarnere assured her. She felt touched by his words and smiled.

"Thank you…" She told them, warmly.

"No problem, Marie. Emilia is worried sick about you, too." Lipton informed her. That was to be suspected, Emilia was always worrying and fussing over her, like the mother that she never had. But Marie now realized that it wasn't just Emilia that cared for her, it was now the rest of Easy Company.

She now knew that being put in Easy Company was probably one of the best things that could happen to her.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I saw other fic's of women fighting alongside Easy Company and I just loved the idea so I started to start my own! I hope I've captured everything a little accurately at least, given the fictional events. I'm sorry if the beginning is kind of slow, it'll pick up. **

**Thanks for reading! **


	2. The March to Atlanta

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you ashbandicoot for the favorite on the story! I hope you're enjoying it so far! **

**I read Donald Malarkey's book _Easy Company Soldier_ and decided to add this chapter regarding Easy's record-breaking march to Atlanta. Some of the dialogue in this chapter is from the book.**

* * *

It had been three months since Marie officially became part of Easy Company. As the weeks went on her fitness had improved tremendously, she no longer got sick when she ran on Currahee. The same went for everyone in Easy; the first step to becoming a paratrooper was an exceptional fitness level, and they were finally achieving that. Marie and Emilia had established becoming "one of the guys," Marie even got herself a nickname from the men of Easy. They all called her "Hun." It was meant to be a short form of "honey", but Marie couldn't help thinking of Attila the Hun whenever someone called her that. Emilia on the other hand hadn't gotten one yet. The men constantly flirted with her, so all of their nicknames didn't seem very appropriate. She was also learning to cope with Sobel's bullying without lashing out at him, although his conniving stunts didn't let up at all. This included rewarding his Company with spaghetti, then changing his mind and making everyone run Currahee on a full stomach after a heavy meal.

Everyone thought Sobel had come up with every way to shape the men into the best Company in the Army, but this time it would be Sink that would outdo Sobel in grueling tasks. Sink found out that the Japanese army had set a world record by marching a hundred miles in only seventy-two hours. He decided that he wanted to beat their record. He ordered the 2nd battalion (because it was the best) to march from Camp Toccoa to Atlanta. That is about 118 miles in full uniforms and with full field equipment.

Marie's mouth dropped open when they received the order. She glanced over at Emilia, whom also looked aghast with the news. No one was happy with the order, but they proceeded to prepare themselves for the long march ahead.

"This doesn't seem very fair for the men that are carrying sixty pounds of weight, or maybe even more on their backs." Marie told Emilia, as they got ready in their barracks.

"Just be thankful that we don't have much to carry. All you have is your medical equipment, and all I have are maps, pencils, pens, and a couple other things." Emilia sighed.

"You don't have to carry any of the power tools?" Marie questioned.

"I don't think Sobel thinks I can handle that much weight." Emilia replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to be carrying that stuff on the field, so I don't see the difference."

Marie knew it was meant to be an insult to Emilia. He always seemed to have it out for the two of them, but not letting her carry all of her equipment seemed more like he was giving her a break.

* * *

Marie stuck with Malarkey during most of the march. Muck and Emilia would pop up from time to time, but with a little over a hundred men marching together it was easy to get lost in a sea of soldiers. During the march of the first day, Marie talked to Malarkey the entire time, realizing that this march may actually be easier than she thought.

"You know, this isn't so bad." Marie said to Malarkey.

"It's only the first day, Hun. I don't think we're going to cover that many miles in the first day." Malarkey informed her with a bitter laugh. He was right, they only marched forty-five miles on the first day. It was wet, rainy, and cold, but Marie preferred the chilly November atmosphere to the unbearable heat of August. The first day felt like an accomplishment, and Marie actually felt good. Malarkey told her he did too.

They faced day two with optimism, but their good moods soon faded. It hailed that day, and the sleet didn't make the march any easier. Marie's legs started to feel the full effect of being over-worked. Her throat was dry from thirst, but she pushed herself along with the rest of Easy Company.

"Why did I think this was going to be simple." Marie moaned.

Malarkey chuckled. "I know, this sixty-five pound mortar isn't helping either." He pointed at the equipment he was carrying. Marie sighed, feeling bad for him.

"I shouldn't be complaining, I'm barely even carrying anything." Marie said, looking at Malarkey apologetically.

"Don't worry about it, Hun."

"Are you as thirsty as I am?" Marie asked, licking her chapped lips, wishing that she had water.

Malarkey nodded in response, giving her a weak smile.

The battalion took a much needed break at about noon. Marie, Malarkey, Emilia, and Muck all sat together, panting and exchanging their thoughts on the march.

"I'm actually happy that Sobel didn't have me carry all of my equipment. Remind me to thank him." Emilia laughed. That was something Marie thought she'd never hear her friend say.

"God, what I wouldn't do for some water." Muck mumbled, massaging his sore muscles.

"Same." Emilia agreed. They all nodded in unison.

There was a farmhouse across the road. A woman emerged from the farm's fence and waved at them.

"Do you folks need some water?" She asked, shouting from across the road. The four of them exchanged looks. It was a tempting offer, but they knew it wasn't allowed. Bill Guarnere was sitting nearby, he was also considering the offer, but as squad leader he knew he couldn't break protocol.

Malarkey stood up. "I'm going for it." He told Guarnere. Guarnere didn't stop him. Muck gave him his canteen, grinning from ear to ear.

"Don, that's not a good idea!" Marie warned.

"Give me your canteen." Malarkey told her, extending his hand.

"No, you're going to get in trouble." Marie said, shaking her head. Malarkey looked up and scanned for officers.

"I don't see Sobel, and Winters is way up at the front." Malarkey informed her. He reached out his hand for her canteen, but she refused again. Emilia shook her head as well, but she seemed more amused than worried. "Fine, you two can drink from mine." He took off across the road as quickly as he could. The woman filled the two canteens for him. Marie saw Sobel coming, her heart somersaulted in her chest. The break was over as men were getting up and starting to march again. She tried to wave Malarkey over to warn him, but he didn't notice her.

Sobel saw Malarkey getting water, and was instantly infuriated. Luckily for Malarkey, he was too far away to notice who it was.

"I want that man's name!" Sobel shouted angrily, pointing directly for Malarkey. Sobel started to make his way to Malarkey, but Malarkey scurried into the mob of marching soldiers. He was well hidden, making Marie sigh in relief. He ran over to join them, handing Muck's canteen back to him.

Muck laughed, drinking gratefully. "That was the best!" Muck laughed, clapping his friend on the back. He was proud of his friend's antics.

"That was too close. You're lucky he lost you." Marie exclaimed, her hand over her heart in relief. Her heart was still hammering in her chest. Malarkey only smiled triumphantly at her, and handed his canteen to her. She didn't want to drink from it because of her stubbornness, but her need for water overcame her feelings of disapproval. She took a few big gulps; the cold water felt wonderful on her dry throat. She handed the canteen back to Malarkey, whom gave it to Emilia to drink so she could drink too.

* * *

The last day was by far the worst. Marie's legs felt that they were on fire as they marched on. She felt like her legs were going to give out, and she wasn't the only one who felt that way. She saw Malarkey struggled to walk alongside her. The Company was close to their destination, which was Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, but it still wasn't close enough to finish up right away. The battalion took another break, this time Muck helped set up tents that they could rest in. Marie and Malarkey collapsed inside the tent, as their legs shook rapidly from being overworked.

"Oh my God, I don't know how much more I can take." Marie groaned. She felt like she'd never be able to use her legs again after this march. Outside of the tent, they overheard Joe Toye singing. "How could he be singing after all this?"

Malarkey laughed. " That's Joe. I'm sure he feels the same way we do. He just likes to sing." They heard the announcement that it was time to eat. The problem was that the food was being served pretty far from their tent. They would have to make their way through the forest to get to it. Malarkey couldn't even bring himself to stand; he had to crawl on his hands and knees to get to where the food was being served. Marie was really worried about him. She followed him, walking stiffly from behind.

"Are you okay?" Marie asked him. Before she could say anymore, Muck came, holding his mess kit in his hands.

"No friend of mine crawls anywhere." He told him. He took his mess kit, and looked up at Marie. "Do you need some help, too, Hun?" Marie only nodded, feeling exhausted as she sat beside Malarkey to help him sit up. He took their mess kits and went to fill their plates with food. He returned and sat with the two tired soldiers.

"Thank you so much, Skip." Marie breathed, taking her plate of food.

"Of course." Muck smiled. Despite the food and rest, Malarkey's legs were still in pain.

"My shins are killin' me, Skip. I don't know if I can make it." Malarkey informed his friend, finishing up the last of his food.

"Almost there, buddy. Only thirty-eight miles." Muck replied.

Marie groaned. Thirty-eight didn't seem very close.

"_Only _thirty-eight?" Malarkey looked just as disappointed as she did.

"Eighty down. You can do this, Malark." Muck tried to convinced him, also looking over at Marie. "_We_ can do this."

"I dunno, Skip." Malarkey sighed.

"I'll get you to Atlanta if I have to drag you." Muck told him.

Back in their tent, Marie was looking over Malarkey's legs. She feared that he had shin splints. His legs looked so swollen. Muck peered over Marie's shoulder, he was concerned too.

"I think you have tibial stress syndrome." Marie concluded as she studied his shins.

"What's that?" Malarkey asked.

"Shin splints. This is serious, it could cause fractures in the lower part of your legs. You really need a nice, long rest. I wish I had some ice for you." Marie explained, giving him a pitied look. Lieutenant Winters entered their tent; he had the same thought that Marie had about the shin splints.

"Why don't you plan on going the rest of the way in a rig, Malarkey." Winters told him. Marie agreed, he really needed to stay off of his legs.

"Sir, give me a night's rest." Malarkey begged, glancing over at Muck and Marie. "I think I can make it." Marie knew it was a bad idea, but she didn't want to lecture Malarkey on what he should and shouldn't do. She was glad that he suggested rest though, which is one of the only a few ways to treat shin splints, along with anti-inflammatory drugs and physical therapy.

Winters didn't look like he agreed either, but he sighed. "Whatever you think." He said.

* * *

Everyone made it to Atlanta in seventy-five hours. As Easy marched their way down the street, there were national radio networks reporting all over the world about their feat. They had actually broken the Japanese record, and by a lot too. There was a band playing which seemed to really lift the spirits of everyone in Easy, including Malarkey whom was still in a lot of pain. The music helped with finishing up the goal, and seemed to inspire a lot of hope in everyone marching. Marie spotted Emilia marching further ahead of her, and smiled. They had made it. Emilia had somehow known that Marie was looking at her since she turned her head and met her gaze. She returned the smile.

Unfortunately Malarkey would have to spend three days in bed because of his swollen legs once they returned to Toccoa. Marie took care of him in the infirmary, icing them as he recovered, but she was proud of her friend's perseverance.

"Your legs will make a full recovery." Marie informed him. "No fractures or torn muscles. You're lucky."

"Good. I don't know how much more bed rest I can take." Malarkey responded with a groan.

Marie laughed but she couldn't blame him, she would grow restless too if she was cooped up in bed for three days. "Just allow your legs to rest."

"I hope the Japanese don't pull anymore record stunts like that, I don't know if I could do this again." Malarkey chuckled.

"Agreed." Marie said, smiling.

A new chapter was unfolding in their lives, it would be December soon. It was strange how fast 1943 was approaching. December also meant that they'd be heading to Fort Benning, where the real paratrooper training would begin.


	3. Parachutes

_Fort Benning, Georgia _

_December 1942-Feburary 1943:_

Entering Fort Benning wasn't as pleasant as Marie thought it was going to be, the paratroopers that were already stationed at Benning all looked down on Easy Company from their high horses. The dirty looks came from all over the place, making Marie already feel weary of this place. Just like on Toccoa, all the girls shared barracks despite being from different companies. Barbara sat on her bed, putting her shoes on while Diana watched Florence put on a massive amount of make up. Diana marveled at her friend as she tried to convince her that there was no point and that it was technically not allowed, but Florence didn't care. Marie and Emilia sat on their beds, attempting to write letters home. Marie promised she'd write their friend Jane but she honestly didn't know what to tell her. It didn't seem right to write about their success while Jane was discharged.

"They didn't exactly roll out the welcome wagon for us, huh?" Barbara said aloud as she started to tie her laces.

"No one likes the new guy." Emilia said to her with a faint smile. She reminisced on when they all first joined their company's.

"Can we talk about something else, please? You guys are makin' me feel worse." Florence sighed, inspecting herself in a pocket mirror.

"Well, what do you want to talk about then?" Diana asked, rolling her eyes at her friend's vainness.

"How about that newly appointed Lieutenant?" Florence suggested with a sly smile. All the girl's giggled, except Marie, she had no idea who they were talking about. "I have never seen a more attractive man in my life." Florence declared, dramatically.

"You're so lucky, Barb." Diana laughed, nudging her friend. "He's going to be in D Company. It's a shame that he's being sent to Europe early, though. You get less of a chance to get to know him."

"Who?" Marie asked.

"Oh, sweetie, you're so out of the loop. Maybe if you spent less time with those boys and more time with us girls you'll pick up on more of the gossip." Florence replied, shaking her head at Marie. Marie didn't answer. The truth was Marie felt more comfortable hanging around Malarkey, Muck, and the rest of the guys than the women she had to live with, with the exception of Emilia.

"Dog Company's got a new CO, he was transferred from Baker Company. His name is Ronald Speirs." Diana filled her in. Marie shrugged in disinterest. The girls carried on about this 'Speirs' while Marie grew bored of their conversation. She decided to go join Muck and Malarkey in the mess hall; they said they'd be waiting for her there.

"I'm going to the mess hall." Marie announced, already half way to the door.

"You're hopeless, Marie." Florence called after her. Marie shot her an irritated look before leaving.

* * *

The mess hall ended up being no better than the barracks. There were a bunch of those smug 82nd Airborne paratroopers that were giving the newcomers a hard time. When Marie entered a few of them looked her up and down with their arms crossed. They smirked as she walked past to join her friends. Malarkey signaled her over to one of the tables where Perconte and Luz were sitting. They all looked annoyed by the paratroopers attitude but none of them said a word. She kind of wished that they would, but the men of Easy were far more respectful than any other company. As much as Marie hated to admit it, that was all because of Sobel.

"So, here come the long-walking, loud-talking, non-jumping 'sonobitches' 506ers." One of the paratroopers sneered. Marie glared at him, which only seemed to amuse the cocky paratrooper. She felt her blood begin to boil, just like it had when she had encountered Sobel for the first time.

"Shut up." Marie growled at him. She was about to say more when she felt a hand grab her shoulder and pull her along. She turned her head to see Malarkey pulling Marie away from the paratroopers. He looked at the paratroopers apologetically, trying to avoid any trouble with the Benning guys.

"Are you trying to get in a fight?" Malarkey hissed at her as they sat down at the table.

"All I said was "shut up", and who are those guys to think they're better than us just because they jumped out of planes before? We'll be there soon enough." Marie huffed, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"They're just intimidated, that's all." Luz said with a laugh.

" "Intimidated" "? Marie echoed in question.

"These guys heard about our fitness records and about the march to Atlanta." Perconte chimed in. Marie sighed, sitting her elbows on the table and resting her head on her arms. She knew she wasn't going to enjoy being at Fort Benning; not just because of the rude paratroopers, but because of the five upcoming jumps they'd have to do. Marie was actually terribly afraid of heights; ironic considering that she'd signed up to be in the Airborne.

"What's wrong?" Perconte asked, noticing her uneasiness.

"I have a confession: I'm petrified of heights." Marie uttered. Luz burst out laughing.

"Then why the hell did you enlist in the Airborne?" Perconte asked her.

"To conquer my fear." Marie stated. "I think jumping out of an airplane will help."

"Or make it worse." Malarkey chuckled. "Just don't freeze up okay?"

"Yeah, I'd hate to prove Sobel right about my place here." Marie sighed.

Lipton entered the mess hall carrying what looked like a bunch of letters and packages. He saw the four of them sitting at a table together and made his way over to join them.

"Hey, Lip. What'cha got there?" Luz asked his friend.

"Mail." Lipton answered, putting the letters down and sorting through them. Marie smiled warmly at him. She liked Lipton, he was one of the most noble men that she has ever met he also reminded her so much of her father.

"Malark." Lipton said, handing Malarkey a letter. "George. Hmm, I think I misplaced yours, Frank." Lipton said, furrowing his brow as he looked through the letters and packages.

"Of course you did." Perconte grunted.

"Ah, I got one for you too, Hun." Lip said, picking up a package. He slid it over to her. Marie looked down at the package, reading whom it was from. It was from her little sister. She tore it open, revealing a book.

"_'Wuthering Heights'." _Malarkey read the title of the book.

"You got a book." Perconte mentioned flatly.

"My favorite book, actually." Marie smiled as she opened the book and peered inside. It was her old copy, the one that she had read countless times before she enlisted.

"Make sure Sobel doesn't see that, he'll confiscated it." Lipton warned her.

"Who sent you it?" Luz asked.

"My little sister." Marie replied. "I don't know why she did, but it was a nice gesture." Her sister was one of the few people here who knew how much she loved to read. While she continued to admire the old book as Lipton picked up his own letter and opened it.

"Who's that from, Lip?" Luz asked, while reading over his letter too.

"Marie." Lipton answered, reading the letter fondly.

"Huh?" Marie questioned, hearing her name. She looked up in his direction.

"Oh, no not you, Hun. Marie is my wife's name." Lipton laughed.

"And your letter, Malark? Is it from that girl of yours?" Perconte asked, trying to read over Malarkey's shoulder. Malarkey shoved him away playfully.

"Bernice." Malarkey told him. Before Marie knew it, Malarkey, Perconte, and Luz were talking about women. Whether it's women that they know back home or the girl's that were staying on base with everyone. She heard Emilia come up a few times, which wasn't surprising. No matter where she went she couldn't escape conversations like this.

She let out a groan and buried herself in her book. Lipton finished reading his letter then tucked it in his breast pocket.

"What's wrong?" Lipton asked Marie.

"It's nothing." Marie mumbled, standing up from the table. "I'm going to explore the base a little bit."

"Oh, can you give this to Skip please?" Lipton asked her, holding out a letter. Marie nodded and took it from his hands before leaving. She almost ran into David Webster as she walked through the mess hall. She stumbled backward, feeling flustered.

"Sorry, Web." Marie apologized.

"No problem." Webster replied. He glanced down at the book she was holding. His face lit up as he read the title.

"Oh, you like the Brontë sisters?" Webster asked her. Marie was taken off guard by the question for a moment

"So far, yes. I've only read Emily Brontë's _Wuthering Heights, _and Charlotte Brontë's _Jane Eyre. Wuthering Heights _is my favorite." Marie explained. She couldn't help but smiling, this has been the first time since she'd talked to someone about books.

"They're fantastic books. Although the Brontë sisters seem to be a big fan of unrequited love and heartbreak. " Webster agreed. He was studying Literature at Harvard before he'd enlisted. A lot of the guys called him "college boy", and seemed to exclude him from a lot of things. She felt bad for him, although she understood why someone with his background would have a difficult time fitting in.

Before Marie could respond Emilia entered the mess hall. Catcalls and whistles immediately followed from men from other companies. Emilia rolled her eyes at their crudeness and walked over to Marie.

"Marie they need you in the med station." Emilia told her friend. She looked back and forth between Webster and Marie and grinned like she just found out a juicy secret.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later, Web." Marie waved goodbye to Webster then went to follow Emilia.

"Bye." He said, waving back to her.

"Well, well, well." Emilia laughed, raising an eyebrow at Marie.

"What?" Marie questioned defensively.

"You and Web. What was that about?" Emilia asked, smiling cunningly.

"Oh my God, nothing. He asked about the book I had in my hands and asked if I liked the author. That was it." Marie scoffed. She really wasn't in the mood for this.

"Really?" Emilia didn't seem convinced. She kept smiling at Marie and it bugged the hell out of her.

"God, that's all you people think about." Marie grumbled as they continued to walk toward the med station.

"What?"

"Romance! Who likes who, who's attractive, who's waiting for you back home. Blah, blah, blah. That's all everyone talks about! It's _so _annoying! Everyone's so obsessed with romance!" Marie snapped out in frustration.

Emilia frowned. "That's normal, Marie. That's what people do."

"Whatever." Marie stormed off ahead of her friend, leaving her confused. Marie entered the med station, trying to forget her conversation with Emilia. Roe and some Fort Benning guys were the only ones inside. Some were working on medical dummies while others were reading field manuals. Marie watched them with vague interest.

_Why did I get so mad? _Marie thought. She didn't quite understand it herself. Was she jealous of everyone? They actually could talk about experiences they've had with their boyfriends and girlfriends, while Marie was always alone when it came to those kinds of things; always the third wheel. She shook those thoughts from her head but she couldn't help feeling sad. She looked down at her hands, realizing that she was still holding onto Muck's letter.

"Oh, shoot." She mumbled to herself, she had completely forgot to run it over to him. Now she had to wait until she was done at the med station until she could give Muck his letter.

"Everything okay, Marie?" She heard a soft-spoken voice speak up from behind her. She turned to face the speaker. Eugene Roe's serious but kind face staring back at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just forgot to give this to Skip." Marie replied.

"Well that has to wait. We have some training to do right now." Roe informed her. She nodded and followed him to her station.

* * *

Marie left the med station after a long day. She rubbed her eyes in fatigue as she made her way back. The first day had been surprisingly lax considering, but she knew that Sobel would pull out all the stops starting tomorrow. The following weeks would be filled with serious training in order to prepare for the five jumps that they'd have to do soon. Marie set off to find Muck to give him his letter. A lot of the men and women were in the mess hall hanging out before they had to return to their barracks. She stepped inside, everyone was laughing and talking like they were having some kind of celebration. She saw Muck talking to Florence, looking a little uncomfortable. Florence could be too much to handle at times; her overly flirtatious nature sometimes was too over the top to the point where it was more _unappealing _than appealing.

"Hey, Skip. I got something for you." Marie called to him, holding up the letter. He looked relieved to have an excuse to get away from Florence. He quickly made his way over to where Marie was standing.

"Thanks, Hun." He took the letter from his hand. He opened it and read it. A smile spread across his face.

"Who's it from?" Marie asked.

"My girl, Faye." Muck told her happily. He continued to read and grin at the letter. Marie's smile faded. Her feelings from earlier today started to return. Muck noticed her expression on her face. "Hey, is everything okay? Emilia told me that you were upset today."

Marie sighed, running her hand through her tousled blonde hair. "Yeah, I was just being stupid."

Barbara suddenly walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Did you happen to get a letter from Jane?" She asked her.

"Uh, no. I haven't even written her yet." Marie replied.

"Okay… I just haven't received word back about how she's doing." Barbara muttered, looking concerned.

Marie patted her shoulder in comfort. "I'm sure she's fine, Barb. She's probably just busy like the rest of us."

Sobel suddenly burst into the mess hall. He had anger etched all over his face. Marie felt herself tense up instantly at his presence. Everyone stopped talking and laughing at once. Sobel eyed each and every one of them. His eyes fell on Marie, she held his gaze feeling her skin crawl as he glared at her.

"Easy Company! We start tomorrow at 0500 hours!" Sobel declared.

"Yes, sir!" Everyone shouted in unison.

Sobel left the mess hall and everyone exhaled. Marie did the same; she hadn't even noticed she was holding her breath when he had entered. Marie looked back at Muck and he only shrugged. Barbara had left to seek out the other girls to ask if they had gotten letters from Jane.

Marie yawned. Her fatigue was really starting to settle in now. Her head felt groggy and her eyes felt very heavy. She patted Muck on the shoulder to get his attention.

"I'm exhausted, I think I'm going to head back to the barracks and get some sleep." She told him with another yawn.

"You only just got here." Muck protested.

"Sorry, Skip." Marie said, rubbing her tired eyes again. She left to for her barracks, hoping that she'd get a good night's sleep.

* * *

The following weeks were so stressful. Marie felt herself begin to grow more and more anxious as the first jump quickly approached. Sobel was drilling everyone extra hard. A few of the men were having breakdowns, which only made Sobel become even stricter. After one of the days of training Marie went and sat down outside to rest a bit. It was late January, the bitter cold cut through her skin but it also kept her exhausted body awake. Malarkey saw her sitting nearby and went over to join her. They didn't speak at first, glancing at each other told them enough about how they felt. Finally Malarkey said something, licking his lips before he started.

"We're almost to the fourth step." He announced. Marie cocked her head, not knowing what he meant. "You know, the four required steps it takes to be a paratrooper." He went on.

"Four steps? I didn't realize the training came in specific steps." Marie replied. "What are they?"

"One: physical fitness. I think it's fair to say that Easy Company has over-achieved on that." Malarkey stated. Marie nodded and gave him a "no kidding" look. "Two: practice jumps, like jumping from the parachute towers and landing techniques." He continued. Marie sighed; she hated jumping from the tower. Learning to land correctly wasn't as easy as it seemed. Once you hit the ground you have to allow all the weight in your legs to give way so your bones wouldn't break. Human instinct was to catch your falling with your hands which is a big no-no. "Three: Learning to pack chutes and unpack them. And of course learning how to use them." Malarkey went on, interrupting Marie's thoughts.

"Ugh." Marie groaned. Malarkey laughed. "Packing the chutes has to be my least favorite, even more than jumping from the tower."

"And finally, step four: the five required jumps." Malarkey announced like it was some grand finale. "That's all it takes, then it'll all be official."

"Step four sounds like the hardest step." Marie muttered, hugging her knees. She felt queasy thinking about jumping from the planes. The last week at Fort Benning in February would be when they all had to jump. Once you do that, you earn your wings.

"They do that on purpose. They want to weed out those who can make it and dismiss those who aren't cut for it. We've already lost a dozen guys who couldn't do it." Malarkey told her.

"I know." Marie murmured.

"The jumps will prove who has the balls to go through with it." Malarkey said. Marie gave him a look when he used the term "balls". "Oh, I mean- ugh, you know." He tried to correct himself. She only laughed and smacked him playfully on the arm.

"I know, it's all good." Marie snickered.

"Just… don't give up, Hun." Malarkey said, his tone grew serious. "Giving up is the worst, especially at this point. I'd hate to lose you now."

Marie's smile faded. She felt touched by his sudden sentiment but she didn't know how to react to it. They sat there in an awkward silence for a while. Marie began to fidget as she waited until she decided to excuse herself.

"I'm not going anywhere, Don" She said with a smile. "Excuse me, I have to find Emilia." Marie said, sitting up. She smiled at Malarkey again before departing.

* * *

Everyone was gathered around for the prep speech that was being given before the first jump. Marie sat next to Emilia, feeling her heart pound rapidly in her chest. She was so nervous as the gave her full attention to the man giving the speech.

"So, do we feel we're ready to be Army paratroopers?" The man shouted, addressing the crowd.

"Yes, Sergeant!" Everyone replied in unison. Marie's throat was too dry to yell as loud as everyone else.

"This'll be the first of five exits from a C47 aircraft scheduled for today. Upon successful completion of your fifth and final jump, you'll be certified Army paratroopers. There'll be a lot of men and women dropping from the sky today. Hopefully under deployed canopies. Jumping from 1000 feet AGL in sticks of twelve jumpers per aircraft. All you have to do is remember what you were taught, and I guarantee you gravity will do the rest." The Sergeant explained.

Marie's head started to feel swimmy. 1000 feet… that seemed impossibly high up. Emilia noticed her friend's distress and gripped her hand in comfort. Marie's palms were so sweaty from her nerves that she tried to pull back from Emilia's hand, but Emilia clenched it tighter.

"And ladies and gentlemen, rest assured, any refusals in the aircraft or at the door, and I guarantee you, you will be out of the Airborne." The Sergeant added. Everyone fell silent. Marie swallowed her fear and tried to sum up courage. Emilia gave Marie's hand another squeeze.

There was no turning back now, it was too late to quit.

* * *

The aircraft was so loud Marie could barely hear the jump master when he yelled out the orders. She sat along the bench of the C47, feeling an indescribable height of euphoria and paranoia. She couldn't tell if she was terrified or excited, all her emotions just seemed to blend in together. The jump master gave the order to stand up and hook up, she didn't hear him but did so when she saw everyone else do what he instructed.

"Check equipment!" He shouted. Marie could faintly hear him this time. She double-checked everything that she was carrying, and everything the person was carrying who was standing in front of her. Sound off had already started, she could hear the men yelling their numbers as they reached their way up. Marie was the sixth one in line. She wished that she could be further back, but she knew it was best to get the jump over with.

"Seven okay!" She heard the man behind her yell, he patted her back so she could carry on with the sound off.

"Six okay!" She yelled. She tapped the guy ahead of her but he didn't shout his number. He panicked and slumped up against the support bar. Watching someone before her eyes chicken out made Marie even uneasier, but she fought hard to overcome it. Everyone behind him had to unhook and step around him. After everyone was hooked up again, the sound off continued.

Marie saw the light turn green for the first jumper. She felt herself break out into a cold sweat. It was time, it was really happening.

"Go, go!" The jumpmaster shouted. He motioned the first jumper out, and it continued down the line. She was so close now. Her stomach churned and she felt like she was going to puke. She swallowed the bile that came up in her throat and continued to walk closer to the exit.

It was finally her turn. She felt herself freeze up but she forced her joints out submission so she wouldn't hesitate when the red light turned green. It flashed green and the jumpmaster yelled for her to go. She swallowed deeply, shut her eyes tightly, then took a flying leap out of the aircraft.

She realized that she screamed a little as she jumped, but the feeling of free falling didn't last as long as she thought it would. The cover chute was attached to the static line, so it would open on its own. She remembered what Malarkey had told her: he told her to count to four, the canopy would open then. She opened her eyes, it was difficult with the wind gusting on her face, but she managed to see how far up she was and her feet flailing around.

After counting to four she felt herself suddenly being hitched upward. The canopy had fully opened. She looked up and watched as it swayed with the wind peacefully. She remembered something else Malarkey had told her: check the other men to make sure they were all coming down at the same speed. That was a way to check if everything was going well. She glanced around and to her relief everyone was coming down at the same rate.

Marie suddenly started laughing uncontrollably. Everything had went smoothly, she'd done it. She made her first jump. The feeling of floating down actually was more exhilarating than she thought it was going to be. The view of the horizon was stunning and she felt free as she glided with the wind. Landing would be another issue, but in the meantime she enjoyed the safe journey down to the ground.

As she neared the ground she prepared herself for the landing. She saw a few of the men struggle with their parachutes after they landed. They were being pulled along on the ground, wrestling to get it all packed. She gulped, hoping she wouldn't have that problem. She landed, feeling a little sharp pain travel up from her ankles, but she remembered to roll off them so it wouldn't hurt. She fell softly to the ground and packed up her chute without a problem. She looked up at the sky, amazed by the view of dozens of men floating down to the earth. She did it, she had made the 1000 foot drop.

* * *

She was so happy to see that Emilia, Muck, and Malarkey had all succeeded in their jumps. She ran over and hugged them all in congratulations. The adrenaline from the jump had made her feel giddy, she felt like she could accomplish anything in her current mood. The happy feeling would soon fade when all of them had to attend a dishonorable ceremony a few days later. For everyone who couldn't face the jump, the Army forced him or her to be part of a public "drumming out" as Malarkey called it.

All the Company's lined up together to watch all the men who didn't succeed. The atmosphere around them had grown heavy with secondhand embarrassment, Marie could hardly bring herself to watch the entire ceremony. She saw the man that had panicked before her on the plane up on the stage. She reluctantly watched the men get their patches stripped as a sorrowful sounding drum pounded at a continuous and ominous beat. Marie felt sick to her stomach from the public humiliation as she watched the men's belongings being dumped next to them from their barracks.

"I hate this…" Marie whispered to her friends.

"At least they're not totally out of the Army. They're just infantry men now." Emilia told her. Emilia's face looked tense, Marie knew that she disliked this as much as she did.

"Not the proudest moment in the US military." Malarkey agreed, looking disgusted. "You know they're doing this to make us afraid to chicken out at the other four jumps."

It wasn't morally right, but using pride to keep everyone jumping was very smart. She knew one thing, there was no way that she was going to cower at the jumps now, she wouldn't give Sobel the satisfaction of watching her getting her patches stripped. The first jump had did a lot for her, she was no longer afraid of the other jumps, she was actually pumped to get her wings.

Marie completed the next two jumps later that week with no problems. There were only two more to go until they could earn their wings. Malarkey had come to her the morning of the third jump looking awfully sick. He had a bad case of laryngitis. Marie's heart went out to him, she feared he'd be too sick to complete the jump, but he assured her that he would be fine. He could barely speak, he had to communicate to her by writing on a piece of paper. She knew he wouldn't be able to do the sound off. She wished him luck by embracing him and they parted ways.

After the fifth jump was a proud day. The fifth jump for Marie had her smiling and giggling all the way toward the ground. She found out that Emilia, Muck and Malarkey had made this jump, too. They all grinned at each other, laughing, hugging, and dancing for joy. Wings Day was definitely the happiest day since arriving at Fort Benning. The celebration party that night was full of life and plenty of drinking. The best part was that Sobel wasn't present. Marie wasn't a party person, per se, but she did find herself enjoying this one. Just watching how proud the men were made her feel almost ecstatic. Diana, Barbara, Emilia, and Florence were all dancing with fellow newly appointed paratroopers. Marie couldn't dance to save her life, so she sat on the sidelines and watched, clapping and cheering them along.

"Hun! Here!" Malarkey called over to her. Luz and Toye were with him at a bar, drinking to their hearts content. Marie went over to join them as Luz poured her a drink in a glass, Marie didn't know what kind it was but she didn't ask. Malarkey handed it to her and she sipped from the glass. It burned down her throat, all the way to her stomach. The bitterness made her face become contorted with disgust. She and Winters had the non-drinking factor in common.

The three men laughed at her as she quickly handed the drink back to Malarkey. Sticking out her tongue, wishing that the vile taste would go away.

"What the hell was that?" Marie coughed.

"Not a fan of liquor, Hun?" Toye asked her with a laugh. Marie shook her head but she couldn't help laughing at herself either. Malarkey drank the rest from her glass in one shot, making her stick out her tongue in disgust as he downed it.

"Did you hear Martin was promoted to Sergeant?" Luz interjected above the noise of the party.

"Really? Good for him." Malarkey replied happily. Marie was glad that everyone's spirits were so high. She couldn't believe that they'd already be leaving Benning so soon, it seemed surreal how fast everything was moving.

"ATTENTION!" Sobel's voice suddenly boomed over the party atmosphere. Strayer and Sink were with him. Everyone instantly snapped into attention.

"Well at ease paratroopers." Sink told them. Everyone relaxed, Sink looked pleased so it made everyone feel better. "Good evening, Easy Company."

"Evening, sir!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Now parachute infantry is a brand new concept in American military history, and by God the 506th is gonna forge that brand new concept into victory." He continued.

Everyone hooted in agreement, Marie herself smiled at Sink's words.

"I just wanted you to know that I'm damn proud of each and every one of ya. Now you deserve this party." Sink beamed. Grant brought Sink a drink, he thanked him kindly then continued on. "I want you to have fun and remember our motto: Currahee!"

"Currahee!" Everyone cheered.

The party would last late into the night. Marie left early to go and read _Wuthering Heights _in her barracks where there was peace and quiet. Their next stop would be Camp Mackall in North Carolina. Marie drifted off to sleep while reading her book, dreaming of what everyone's future had in store for them.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**EDIT: Ugh, I noticed I made a lot of mistakes with this chapter, so I went back and fixed/added some things. Sorry if the story is slow and for some of the redundancy in my writing. I'm rushing myself too much.**

**Another chapter done! And this one is quite long, I don't usually write chapters this lengthy :) I used some of the dialogue from Band of Brother's episode Currahee and some from Malarkey's book _Easy Company Soldier _(and some things he mentioned that weren't in the show like the dishonor ceremony) Thank you all for reading! **


	4. Screw Ups

_Camp Mackall, North Carolina _

_February-May 1943_

Everyone was in position as they lay on the forest ground. The company had been lying down for so long that a lot of the men began to grow anxious, shifting slightly against the ground making the leaves and twigs rustle and crack. Marie was on her belly in a crouched position, ready to move when Sobel gave the order; only he wasn't giving any orders. He looked flustered as he talked to Tipper and pointed at the map and checked his compass. When it came to actually directing the Company in combat drills instead of punishing, Sobel was a fish out of water. Marie looked over at Emilia, whom was sitting down next to a giant root. Marie smiled at her, amused at Sobel's actions, but Emilia didn't look like she was in the mood for humor. She was scowling at Sobel, fuming at how lost he was.

"We're so off." Emilia hissed at Marie. "Sobel can't track worth a sh-"

Marie shushed her, although she knew Emilia was right. Emilia had amazing tracking skills. She could be put in a place blindfolded and she'd know how to make her way back. Winters suggested that Emilia work directly with Tipper to keep Sobel on track, but Sobel shot down the idea. He didn't want 'some woman' helping him out with directions, even if it meant getting lost more often. Marie could only shake her head at the man's ignorance. She wished that Sobel could see past their gender and start to look at them as an essential part of Easy Company.

Word spread that they were in the wrong position, everyone groaned. Marie sighed and tried to shift her weight. Her legs and hands were falling asleep as she waited crouched to forest floor.

"Figures." Randleman jeered, he was sitting by them.

"I knew he was leading us in circles. He even has a compass and he still gets lost!" Emilia uttered under her breath.

"It's best if we wait in this position, like Winters said, it's perfect for an ambush." Muck chimed in. He was right, if they were to just wait it out an enemy team was bound to show up.

Marie slid up to take a better look at what was going on. She could see Sobel talking to Winters, both looking distressed. Sobel must've told Winters something he didn't like, because Winters looked taken aback. Winters pursed his lips in annoyance as he made his way quietly over to the Company.

"We're moving out." Winters ordered. Deploying the troops was a horrible idea; Marie knew it had to be Sobel's idea. Sitting tight for an ambush was a basic and effective military tactic, yet Sobel was too damned proud to show that he's made a mistake.

"What?" Muck exclaimed. Everyone felt the same way but had to oblige.

"Unbelievable." Emilia groaned.

Everyone stood up to follow Sobel, whom was marching in front of the platoon like he was taking a stroll through the park. He had absolutely no guard up as he led them a couple steps into the forest. Suddenly a bunch of men popped out of the ground like sprouting plants; it was one of the enemy teams all holding up their weapons in a firing position. They were well camouflaged; Marie didn't even notice they were there. Them pointing their weapons directly at them made her feel nervous though, since they were all really fully loaded.

A solider with a clipboard approached Sobel. "Captain, you've just been killed, along with 95% of your company. Your outfit?"

"Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506." Sobel uttered, his voice fading in the realization that he'd majorly screwed up. Several men glared daggers at the back of Sobel's head, including Emilia. If this were real most of them would be dead. Marie thought about the heaviness of that unspoken statement and she felt her heart grow heavy. This man was going to lead them straight to their graves.

"Leave three wounded men on the ground, and report back to the assembly area." The soldier ordered.

Marie heard Sobel curse under his breath. He snapped his head around and glowered at his company as if it was their fault that this happened. Marie clenched her fists at her sides. Sobel hastily picked three men and pointed to them, then everyone moved out. Marie followed Sobel back to the assembly area, reluctantly along with the rest of the company. The men were all in a bad mood, Marie and Emilia included. This was all getting old real fast.

* * *

At this point everyone was seriously questioning Sobel's ability to lead Easy into combat. It was rather obvious that he wasn't fit to lead, but the harsh reality was that there was nothing that could be done about it. Morale began to drop amongst the company as the days dragged on, everyone already felt like they were as good as dead and they haven't even been shipped to Europe yet. Marie tried to go on as if everything hadn't changed, but the attitudes of everyone had dramatically shifted. Emilia had become angrier and sterner, while Marie had grown even less patient than before. She knew it was because of the past week being with Sobel whom kept messing up, but she wished that it would all pass.

"That SOB's gonna get us killed." Toye announced grimly. A few of the men, along with Marie, were all sitting outside in a circle, gathered around and talking ill of Sobel. This wasn't unusual, it happened a lot more than people realized. Conversations like this have been happening since Camp Toccoa.

"I'm thinking it's time we get rid of him." Cobb added. There was something dark about his words that made Marie shudder.

"Like some kind of accident." Liebgott mused. Marie couldn't believe that she was sitting here listening to soldiers talk about getting rid of their CO. He was better off gone, but dead? And by the hands of his own soldiers?

"You guys shouldn't be talking about this." Marie warned.

"He's going to get us all killed, including himself." Cobb said to her. "It's the only way to get a new CO. I do not want to follow that man into war."

"Me neither." Toye agreed. Marie couldn't listen to anymore of it. She got up and went to find Malarkey and Muck to see what their thoughts were about this. Marie later found out that Malarkey had won a three-day pass to DC for placing first in some weapons competition. Although she was happy for him, she couldn't help feeling lonely without her good friend being around. He was her voice of reason and now when she needed him the most he was gone for a few days. Mackall was turning out to be worse than Benning.

The only good news that came from staying at Mackall was that Easy Company had gotten a new Lieutenant. Harry Welsh had joined Easy and everyone instantly loved him. His jovial and joking nature made him fit in well with the rest of Easy. Marie liked him, too, even if his conversations always circled around this girl he loved back home named Kitty. Winters and Nixon were already really close to Welsh, which was always a good thing, Marie knew that they were three men that the company could count on no matter what happened.

Marie had gotten latrine duty from Sobel for some random reason. Most likely she got punished for doing something trivial during the week of training that she couldn't remember. Muck had surprised her by volunteering to for the duty along with her. It made her happy that her buddy came to help, he actually made even cleaning toilets enjoyable. She knew that Muck needed the company from missing Malarkey too.

After a few hours of scrubbing the bathrooms until they were spic n' span, Marie returned to her barracks to find Emilia sitting on her bed, trying to concentrate on writing a letter. Emilia bit the eraser of her pencil deep in thought as she peered down at the paper.

"Who you writing to?" Marie asked as she walked in. "Your many male admirers?"

"Jealous?" Emilia asked her, looking at her with a challenging but joking smile. "Ha, no. I'm trying to write Jane, but I have no idea what to say."

"Tell her how idiotic Sobel is being, and how that ass is going to lead us all to our death beds." Marie deadpanned. Emilia glanced at her frostily, telling her with her eyes that she didn't want to write any of that down. It was better if Jane only received good news, they didn't want her to worry about them.

"I'd much rather write to her about you and Web." Emilia stated with a smile, scribbling down something on the paper.

"Oh my God, there's nothing going on! I rarely even speak to him." Marie huffed, flopping herself down on her bed. She lay sprawled over the covers, looking up at the barracks ceiling.

"You're right, you and Malarkey is a much more obvious choice." Emilia replied with an impish grin. Marie felt her face grow hot but she didn't let Emilia see that. "I see the way you look at him, I can tell you're-"

"No I'm not!" Marie protested, shooting up from her bed. Marie tried to sound as candid as she could but the blush on her face threw everything off.

"Uh-huh." Emilia answered sarcastically, still writing on the paper. "I can see how bummed you are that he's not here."

"That doesn't mean anything, I'd be bummed if you were sent to DC for a few days." Marie retorted. "Besides, he has a girl back in Oregon that he's crazy about. They're high school sweethearts, she's going to be a singer or something. I think Jane would rather hear about your love-life anyway, since yours actually exists."

Emilia raised a skeptical eyebrow at her friend but didn't reply.

"Ha, you know I'm right." Marie smiled, laying back down on her bed.

"You're right about nothing. The only girl around here getting any on the side is Florence." Emilia proclaimed. Marie looked over at Emilia, surprised that she said that. "Oh, dear, don't tell me that you didn't know?"

Marie threw her pillow at Emilia playfully. "It's mean to talk about someone like that when she's not even here."

"Oh please, like you don't do it." Emilia said rolling her eyes.

Marie thought of what Toye, Liebgott, and Cobb were talking about earlier. Her smile faded along with her cheery mood. She was afraid that they would go along with getting rid of Sobel. She didn't want them to make a drastic mistake and suffer later for it.

"Hey, some of the men were talking about 'getting rid of Sobel' today." Marie informed Emilia.

"I don't blame them. We're doomed if we follow Sobel into war." Emilia answered in disgust. "He doesn't even know what direction to walk in."

"Well we'll just have to make the best of it somehow." Marie sighed, knowing that her words were trite.

"Even if that means insubordination in the near future." Emilia added. She continued to look down at the letter until she finally brought herself to finish writing to Jane. Marie wasn't sure what she chose to write to their friend about, but she was sure that Sobel came up in it one way or another.

* * *

Malarkey had returned and was instantly greeted by Muck and Marie whom were very happy to see him. It's strange how just one friend not being present could change everything.

"So how was DC?" Muck asked.

"It was great, a nice break from Sobel and training that's for sure." Malarkey answered.

"You're so lucky. I would do anything to have been in your place. Beats having latrine duty with this one." Muck said, patting Marie playfully on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, you volunteered." Marie replied putting her hands on her hips, but smiling at him.

Muck chuckled. "But seriously, though, it must be the damned luck of the Irish. With you surviving that jump then getting to go to DC-"

"What jump?" Marie interjected, frowning as she looked between the two of them. Muck's eyes widened as he realized that she shouldn't of said that. Malarkey shot him a look as he shifted in his spot uncomfortably.

"Uhh, nothing, Hun." Muck replied, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"What jump." Marie pressed, this time she said it firmer than she did before.

Malarkey sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to drop the issue. She was too damned stubborn for her own good. "The spring jump that we had to do in Mackall. I didn't pack my chute very good and ended up getting five blown panels as I was falling. Some loose BB's tore up my chute as I jumped, I think. There was no air in the canopy. I almost landed in a lake, but I pulled the reserve chute but… I kinda blundered on that too…"

Malarkey paused for a minute and tried to laugh it off, but Marie looked at him with serious eyes. He sighed again before he continued. "I barely slowed down and ended up crashing into a tree. I got caught hanging from it with the suspension lines, but I'm okay, really."

"You could've died…" Marie muttered.

"But I _didn't_." Malarkey added in emphasis.

"Please just… be more careful…" Marie sighed. "I just don't want…" She couldn't finish her sentence.

"Oh, he will." Muck piped up. "I think he's learned a lesson from that." He tried to fix the situation but it was futile.

Marie didn't answer, she felt too upset at the fact that Malarkey had almost died and the war hadn't even started for them yet. The mood had been pretty much killed by then, so Marie decided to return back to her barracks for a few minutes until training started up again. The training had become more sophisticated and serious, so it was a good idea to clear your head before it started, especially when it came to Sobel leading.

Summer was approaching quickly, which meant another Fort to be stationed at, and one step closer to war.


	5. Last Home Stretch

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you Lilli for the encouraging review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story as much as I enjoy writing it! :)**

**And thank you Jessie for the review! I'm so happy that you think my character Marie is adorable! :D**

**I decided to update earlier than I usually do, too. Enjoy! **

* * *

_Kentucky, Tennessee_

_Fort Bragg, North Carolina_

_June – August 1943 _

June and July mainly consisted of jumping around between Kentucky and Tennessee for additional training before they'd stop at Fort Bragg. Easy along with some of the other fellow companies that they've been stationed with had stayed together as they went from place to place. Kentucky and Tennessee was like a vacation compared to Toccoa, Benning and Mackall. They trained on basic maneuvers the entirety of their short stay. The only thing that made staying at these places difficult was the copperhead snakes and the pesky little chiggers. Marie spent more time in the infirmary than she liked just pulling the parasites out of people's skin. When it came to things like that, Marie sometimes wished that she wasn't a nurse.

Everyone was ready to get the heck out of Tennessee. The summers here were no better than the summers in Georgia, the temperature ranged from 85-100 Fahrenheit, and Sobel didn't rest with his harsh drilling no matter the weather. It was dusk at the time Marie was leaving the med station. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with her uniform sleeve. Even pulling her hair up in a high ponytail didn't seem to help her keep cool. She hated being sweaty and dirty, it made her feel gross but she knew that once they entered war she wouldn't have much of a choice on her cleanliness. Not to mention that the men from the other companies were really irritating her today. Some of them happened to get chiggers in a few places that Marie would rather not go, and their snide remarks and comments while she was trying to remove the parasites didn't help. She felt disgusted by all of them, although she was warned before she enlisted that this kind of thing would happen. Part of her wanted to report their inappropriate verbal comments, but she knew that there was a slim chance anyone would care.

The beads of sweat returned to her forehead as she stormed toward her barracks, fuming at the events of today. She burst through her barrack's door, nearly giving all the girls inside a heart attack when she entered.

"Marie! God! You scared the crap out of me!" Emilia exclaimed, placing a hand over her heart in fright.

"I never want to see another naked man again!" Marie shouted as she went over and collapsed on her bed. All the girls exchanged glances for a moment then busted out laughing to the point where there were tears in their eyes. Marie sat up, enraged by how funny they found this. "It's not funny!" She retorted.

Diana had practically rolled off her bed laughing so hard, while Barbara and Florence were covering their faces, trying to redeem themselves. Emilia wiped tears from her eyes, trying to look at Marie apologetically but it wasn't working. Marie glared at them in annoyance then buried her face back in her bed.

"Marie… what happened?" Emilia asked as she tried to catch her breath. "Darling, you can't say something so out of the blue like that and expect us not to laugh."

"The men were such pigs today." Marie told her. "The things they were saying while I was removing the chiggers were disgusting."

"Men being pigs? What else is new?" Diana said sarcastically.

"Some of the guys got chiggers in certain places…" Marie muttered.

"Oh, please. Welcome to the real world, sweetheart." Florence told her, rolling her eyes like it was the most trivial thing she'd ever heard. "Grow up, kiddo. You're twenty-one years old, turning twenty-two in August, right? Stop being such a baby."

Marie sat up from her bed, glaring at Florence in anger. "Just because you're used to seeing _that _doesn't mean everyone is. We're not all loose like you." Marie spat. The girls stopped laughing immediately and looked over at Marie, stunned at what she said. Marie got up and left the barracks before Florence could say anything. She knew Florence was going to be pissed at her and she didn't want to hear it.

It was starting to get dark out, but Marie didn't care. She just wanted to walk and calm her temper down before she said anything else out of line. Her mouth had gotten her in trouble many times before, and every time she felt bad afterwards for what she had said. At times she could be too stubborn to apologize and admit that she was wrong. Marie tried to clear her regretful thoughts and focus on where she was going. She could hear familiar voices talking up ahead. She followed the voices and saw that a bunch of men from Easy Company were sitting around and talking in full uniform. She guessed that Sobel had them on some late night patrol practice; she felt her annoyed feelings return at the thought of Sobel leaving her and Emilia out of the practice.

"Hey, Hun! That you?" Marie heard Talbert call as she approached.

"Yup. What are you guys doing?" Marie asked the group.

"Oh, you know, Sobel." Luz replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"Why didn't he ask Emilia and I to join?" Marie asked, crossing her arms.

"I don't know, you know how he is." Bull said. "Honestly, I think he just likes to keep us waiting in the dark without giving orders."

Malarkey and Muck came up to join the rest of the group, they noticed Marie as they walked closer.

"Hello there, angel." Muck gushed in a teasing manner as he pulled her into a tight hug. "We missed you so much, doll." Marie would usually laugh and go along with Muck's antics, but she felt too irritated and uncomfortable today. She pushed him off. Muck was taken aback by her sudden harshness.

"Hey, are you all right?" Muck asked her, concerned.

"Not really…" She mumbled.

"What happened?" Malarkey asked. A few of the men gathered around closer to hear what was wrong.

She sighed, not really wanting to tell them in fear that they'd laugh at her too. "Uhh… nothing." She dismissed.

"Seriously, Hun, what's wrong?" Malarkey questioned, this time in a more serious tone. Their eyes locked but she couldn't hold his stare. She averted her eyes and looked down at her shoes, feeling herself close up. "Hun? Hey." Malarkey asked, bending over and waving his hand in her face.

"You all should be at attention!" Sobel's bothersome voice filled the air. Everyone rushed back to their positions as their CO marched over to inspect the group. Malarkey was the only one who didn't go to attention, he was still trying to coax whatever was bothering Marie out of her.

"Tell me what's going on." Malarkey told her.

"It's stupid, it doesn't matter. Sobel's coming, you're going to get in trouble." Marie whispered. She tried to walk away but Malarkey grabbed her arm. "Don, please. It's nothing."

"Malarkey!" Sobel boomed. "Why are you not in position?" Sobel eyed both Marie and Malarkey. "What is going on here?" He demanded. Winters, Nixon, and Welsh were following Sobel from behind, all looking curiously at what was happening.

"Docherty, what are you doing out of your barracks? I didn't order you to participate." Sobel said. He looked at how Malarkey was holding onto her arm, and sneered. "Ah, out late for a little fraternizing, are we?"

Marie snapped her head over to him. She was at her wits end with men and their derogatory remarks. Winters, Nixon, and Welsh looked stunned by his remark – everyone knew he was out of line.

"No! That's not what I was doing!" Marie shouted at Sobel. She saw the look he gave her, and knew that she'd made a big mistake with her words, again. "…sir…" She added. "I was taking a walk and I ran into them, sir."

Sobel arched his eyebrow, not buying her story. Sobel looked back over at Malarkey, whom was internally fuming at Sobel. "Malarkey, fall in line." Sobel ordered.

"Yes, sir." Malarkey responded. He reluctantly went over to stand at attention with the rest of the men. He gave Marie a worried glance as he walked away from her.

"You're lucky I don't court-martial you for disobeying orders, Docherty. I'm giving you another chance because Sink seems to have so much faith in you for reasons I don't understand." Sobel told her, looking irritated as he said so.

_What orders? _Marie thought. He hadn't instructed Emilia and Marie to do much of anything. Showing up to a practice that they were _supposed _to be part of didn't seem like much of a case for court-martial. Nonetheless Marie knew that she had to appease Sobel or she'd be in serious trouble. What else was new.

"Yes, sir. No excuse…" Marie said through gritted teeth.

Sobel smiled at her in smug triumph. "Dismissed. Get back to your barracks and don't let me catch you outside them again. Your kind can't be trusted running around freely."

Marie's face burned red in humiliation and anger. She hoped that it was dark enough to where he couldn't see. She clenched her fists at her side and tried to control them from shaking in rage. So much for calming herself down.

"Yes, sir." She said. She turned on her heel and stormed off without a second word. Tears stung her eyes as she walked back to her barracks. This had been an awful day, and now she had to go back and face Florence.

* * *

Marie lay in her bed, angry tears rolling down her face as she laid sleeplessly in bed. She returned to her barracks and the girls had seen how upset she looked. For once Florence kept her mouth shut and decided to give Marie a piece of her mind later. None of the girls said anything to her, not even Emilia. They didn't know what happened, but they could guess that it had something to do with Sobel and everything that happened earlier that day. She desperately wanted to talk to someone about her feelings but she knew she couldn't. If she wrote home about what was happening, her family would worry, not to mention Marie would have to face all their "I told you so's" that would follow.

Marie had finally fallen asleep late in the night, but it was a restless sleep that only lasted three hours. Marie woke up with puffy eyes from crying in the night, which made her even more upset with herself. Now Sobel would see that she'd been crying and would just embarrass her even more in front of the company. Marie took her time getting dressed that morning, wishing that she could stay in bed and avoid Sobel.

"Marie, are you okay? What happened last night?" She heard Emilia ask her. Emilia was putting on her uniform, eyeing Marie with concern. Marie decided to tell her everything. After explaining the situation, Emilia looked furious. "He can't talk to you like that! That shouldn't be allowed! You need to file a report!"

Marie shrugged helplessly. "He can do whatever he wants. He does it all the time."

"No he can't." Emilia grumbled. She finished getting changed and waited for Marie to finish putting on her uniform. "No one should ever talk down to someone like that. You know he did it on purpose just to humiliate you."

"I'm well aware of that." Marie replied flatly.

Emilia studied her friend then sighed. "Here. Let me see if I can do something about your eyes."

* * *

In the mess hall Marie rolled her food around her plate, not really hungry. Emilia was sitting next to her, still looking over at her in worriment. Malarkey and Muck slid into the chairs across from them, looking equally glum.

"You okay, Hun? What happened last night was…" Muck's voice trailed off.

"I'm fine." Marie told them, but her voice sounded too meek to be convincing.

"What's been bothering you?" Malarkey asked her cautiously.

Marie looked up at him. Muck and Malarkey stared back at her in concern. She decided that it would be best to tell them everything that was going on, even if that meant them laughing at her.

"Yesterday a lot of men were harassing me in the infirmary. It bothered me all day, and all the girls in my barracks laughed at me…" Marie looked over at Emilia guiltily, but Emilia nodded to reassure her that it was okay to go on. "Florence thought I was just being a baby so I lashed out at her. I left to go for a walk to clear my head, then you know the rest."

"Why didn't you just tell us that?" Malarkey sighed.

Marie looked down at her food. "I don't know… I was afraid you all would laugh at me, too."

"Who was harassing you?" Malarkey questioned.

"Some men from other companies, I don't remember their names."

"Hun, it's okay. Just so you know, none of the men were on Sobel's side last night. They all thought what he said to you was awful." Muck told her.

"We all support you." Emilia added, soothing her.

She smiled at all of them then glanced down at her food again feeling shyness overcome her. She was grateful to all of them in more ways than she could explain. She remembered when she was struggling to run on Currahee and almost passed out, Lipton and Guarnere had come and practically carried her to the infirmary and covered for her.

* * *

It was almost August now, and Easy had been sent over to Fort Bragg. Unfortunately for Malarkey a lot of chiggers had burrowed their way into his back and was more than the medical staff in Tennessee could handle. He was flown over to Fort Bragg early to be taken care of in the hospital, but he was fine. Everyone in the 506th was going to end up there anyway. Marie was worried sick about him and felt relieved when they had been reunited.

Compared to everywhere else Marie had stayed at since enlisting, Fort Bragg felt like a luxury. Easy Company, along with several others was going to be shipped out to Europe next month, so most of the time spent here was just prepping for the long stay in Europe. Marie had helped give out vaccinations to all the soldiers; giving shots was all she felt like she was doing during her stay at Bragg. The days consisted of mainly repeated inspections along with some equipment handouts. She was actually starting to feel bored and anxious along with the rest of the company.

Marie had started treating a lot more men that seemed to be getting injured for fighting. Everyone was starting to feel on edge because the war was closer for them than ever before. Malarkey told her that the fighting was a mixture of testosterone and cold beer from the nearby tavern. "A dangerous combination, especially given the number of paratroopers known for their cockiness at Bragg." He told her.

She listened intently to every word he said, like she usually did. Marie always went to him for advice, especially when it came to matters like this. Marie walked on eggshells when it came to talking to some of the men that looked like they could be easily pushed over the edge. Florence had mouthed off to one of the men in her company and ended up getting decked in the face. Marie decided to learn from her mistake and keep her stubbornness quiet and her mouth shut most of the time. She didn't want to head over to Europe with a black eye.

Today Easy Company was getting their picture taken by a professional photographer. This was an important day, Easy had become renowned for the march to Atlanta and for Sobel's discipline that resulted in it being one of the best companies among paratroopers, so getting their picture taken meant that this was going to be a day in history.

Emilia was braiding strands of Marie's hair and pulling it back into her usual ponytail. Marie's hair wasn't quite long enough to be placed in a bun and twisted around. They had their uniforms looking sharper than ever for the photograph, and Florence had actually let them borrow some makeup for the event. They had to put it on in a very subtle manner, Marie felt better getting her picture taken knowing that she'd look decent at least.

"All done. Ready to go join everyone?" Emilia asked, as she held out Florence's mirror so Marie could see herself.

"Yup, thanks Em." Marie said as followed Emilia out the door. Emilia looked extra gorgeous today with her hair and makeup being done, not to mention everyone seemed to look crisp with their uniforms looking this nice. "They should put you out front, you look like a model." Marie laughed. Emilia looked back at her and smiled skeptically, but didn't say anything.

They approached the rest of Easy to where they were lined up. The men gawked at Emilia as she walked over to them. Marie rolled her eyes at them and waited to be told where to stand. Darrell "Shifty" Powers leaned over to Marie and tapped her on the shoulder shyly.

"You can stand over here, Sergeant." Powers told her with a small smile.

"Thanks, Shifty. You don't have to call me Sergeant." Marie told him with a kind smile. People rarely addressed her as her rank, Sobel would like to pretend that her rank didn't even exist.

"But that's your rank, ma'am." Powers told her, cocking his head. She only smiled at him as she stood by him to get ready for the picture. Marie was more excited because they were celebrating Malarkey's birthday tonight at the nearby tavern. Malarkey was turning twenty-two; he was only a month older than Marie. Marie was planning on going downtown to buy him a birthday gift, but she had no idea what she'd buy him.

After the photo Marie went over to Emilia, whom was put in the front by the photographer, like she predicted. Emilia turned over to her and smiled.

"I knew you'd be put in front." Marie said.

"You look beautiful too, Marie." Emilia told her. Marie didn't look convinced, she only rolled her eyes at her. Emilia shook her head at her friend. "Come on, let's get ready for your boyfriend's birthday."

"He's not my boyfriend." Marie retorted.

"Mm-hmm." Emilia said sarcastically.

* * *

Marie was late getting to the tavern, the party was already winding down, in fact it was practically over. She spent too long picking out his gift because she didn't really know how to shop for him. She ended up picking out a silver pocket-watch. She rushed over to the tavern to see Malarkey, Muck, Toye and Guarnere were the only ones left standing. Marie could tell that they were all very drunk by the way they walked and swayed back in forth at the barstools.

"Don! I'm so sorry I'm late!" Marie called to him as she quickly jogged over to him.

"Hun! I thought you weren't coming!" Malarkey exclaimed, slurring his speech slightly. He pulled her down into a hug from his barstool. "Why are you late? I'm surprised you didn't come with Em."

"I was trying to pick out a gift for you." Marie explained, setting up the shopping bag on the bar. "I hope it's okay."

Malarkey's drunken state seemed to fade away for a second. He looked at her seriously for a long time before he spoke. "Oh, Marie… you didn't have to…"

"Yes, I did." Marie smiled and slid the shopping bag closer to him. He opened it and inspected the pocket-watch.

"Thank you." Malarkey whispered, pulling her into another hug. This one was gentler than the drunken embrace from before. She felt herself relax like she hadn't relaxed in years. Hugging him always made her feel safe and comfortable; it made her feel like she'd have his friendship forever.

"Malark, you got a call." Guarnere yelled to him, holding up the tavern's phone. "It's from your girl, Bernice."

"I'm coming." Malarkey announced, breaking their embrace. He got up and was about ready to leave for the phone when he stopped and turned around on his heel. He bent over and kissed Marie quickly on the forehead in thanks before going over to his phone. He picked it up and talked fondly into the receiver. Mare smiled at him then got up to leave the tavern.

August would be the last month they'd be in the states until they would be sent to New York then would board a shipped to Europe. It felt so unreal, but Marie was so happy that she was going over seas with these people that she now considered her dear friends. It made the war seem less scary in her head.


	6. Aldbourne Bound

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you HappyNinjaBitch for the favorite on the story!**

**Updated early again! Sorry for the overly quick updates. I'm just really excited that the story is starting to really progress :)**

* * *

_Camp Shanks, New York_

_September 1943_

August had been a strange and busy month for everyone. It was the last month before the companies were to be shipped to England, so the preparation was unbelievable. August was also a month that the soldiers got leave to go visit their families to say goodbye before they were officially sent off to war. It felt strange for Marie going home to Georgia after a year of being away. The familiar look of her house, the smell of her Dad cooking burgers on the grill, the sounds of her sister practicing her cello, her brother working on the car in the garage, and of the wind chimes on the front porch clinking together… it all felt so strange; distant. She felt like she was in a memory from a dream. She had so many stories to tell them, but she didn't know where to begin. It almost felt like she didn't fit in with her family anymore, like the roles were reversed and now Easy Company was her real family. Of course she didn't tell any of them that, but that is what she truly felt.

Marie was counting down the days until her furlough ended. She was so anxious to get to Shanks. Her father was worried that she was getting "too obsessed with war"; she tried to explain to him that the bond she's made with these men and women was so strong that it felt painful to be apart. As cheesy as it sounded, Easy had become an essential necessity of her daily life. His tanned face only smiled at her in understanding. He placed his calloused and overworked hands on his daughter's shoulders and just stared at her for a moment, taking in her image with a mute affection. He couldn't find the words to say to his child before she was shipped overseas, but Marie didn't mind, they had a silent understanding that he was telling her goodbye just in case she didn't make it. She'd rather not hear him say those words out loud, anyway.

* * *

Marie returned to Fort Bragg and met up with Muck whom had also gotten there around the same time she did. They would soon be boarding a train that would take them to New York, then on September 5 they would board the _SS Samaria _and would sail to Aldbourne. Muck and Marie sat outside one late August summer night, just looking up at the stars and pondering the days to come. He was smoking a cigarette while Marie was pointing out constellations to herself.

"Going back home felt weird." Marie pondered aloud.

"Yeah, I thought so too." Muck agreed, taking a drag of his cigarette. "It felt wonderful to see my family again, and Faye… but I also felt very out of place. And the goodbyes were the worst part."

"Same." Marie sighed. Marie could imagine her friends going home and their mothers and fathers crying about them leaving, wrapping them into tight hugs, begging them not to leave. Only Marie's father wasn't an emotional person and Marie's mother was God knows where.

"Don is having a hard time getting back. His flight was cancelled and it's delaying him from returning to Bragg. I think he's stuck in Chicago or somethin'." Muck informed her.

"I hope he doesn't miss the train." Marie replied, feeling worried that he'd be late.

"Sergeant Evans threatened him with a court-martial for going AWOL." Muck chuckled, shaking his head.

"It's not like it was his fault." Marie answered, flatly.

Muck shrugged, taking another drag of cigarette. "Hey, he also went to New York to visit his girl. She moved there to be a singer, you know. Apparently she'd gained weight or something and Malarkey broke up with her."

Marie gasped at Muck. She couldn't believe that Malarkey would be that shallow. "He broke up with her because she gained weight? That's so stupid."

Muck shrugged again. "They've always been off and on, and the breakups are usually for dumb reasons like that. He called me and told me that she'd lost her 'athletic figure' or something. I'm pretty sure they're going to get back together again soon."

Marie huffed. Why did most men have to have that mind set? Malarkey is a fantastic guy but things like this irked Marie to no end. "Remind me to smack him when he gets back."

Muck laughed. "Will do!"

* * *

The _SS Samaria _was not as big of a ship as Marie thought it would be. It was some old British ship that didn't look like it could fit everyone boarding. Marie was hoping that they'd get more time to stay at Shanks before they'd leave. Marie had never been to New York before and wanted to see more of it. 5000 men and women were going to be crammed on this ship, and it was designed to hold only about half of that. Marie boarded the ship and waited at the upper deck with Emilia, Malarkey, and Muck. The ship waited at the New York Harbor for what felt like hours until everything was in place and ready. Marie looked off into the harbor, wishing that there were a ton of people sending them off and waving at them with handkerchiefs as they got ready to sail. But this wasn't like the movies, this was real life.

As the ship passed the Statue of Liberty, a lot of people began to get emotional. It did feel strange; it was like saying goodbye to a person that you had a feeling you'd never run into again. This had been Marie's first time ever seeing Lady Liberty as she marveled at the grand statue from a distance.

"It's official now, isn't it?" Emilia said aloud to no one in particular. The feeling of homesickness was already starting to set in, and they were still in US territory.

"Yeah…" Malarkey mumbled. Marie could hear a lump in his throat. She was afraid that he'd start crying, but he didn't. He looked over at his three friends and pulled out a letter. "Did you guys read the letter that Sobel sent home to all of our families?"

"No." Muck answered, looking at the letter Malarkey was holding in curiosity.

"Reading it, you'd think Sobel actually had a heart." Malarkey chuckled. He held it up to them and cleared his throat to read it aloud.

_'Dear Madam,_

_Soon your son/daughter [individual names here] will drop from the sky to engage and defeat the enemy. He/she will have the best of weapons, and equipment, and have had months of hard, and strenuous training to prepare him/her for success on the battlefield._

_Your frequent letters of love, and encouragement, will arm him/her with a fighting heart. With that, he cannot fail, but will win glory for himself/herself, make you proud of him/her, and his/her country ever grateful for his/her service in its hour of need._

_Signed,_

_Captain Herbert Sobel'_

Malarkey finished and shoved the letter back into wherever he pulled it out from. Everyone went over the letter in their heads for a moment, replaying Sobel's written words. Muck nodded, giving Malarkey a "not bad" look.

"Are all the letters addressed 'Dear Madam'?" Marie asked Malarkey.

"Yeah, as far as I know." Malarkey nodded.

Marie groaned then turned to rest her head on her arms that were propped up on the ship's guardrail. She stared out into the ocean and the churning water. Dear Madam. Didn't Sobel realize that not everyone had a mother back home waiting for their return?

"Is something wrong?" Muck asked, peering over Marie's shoulder.

Emilia waved her hand in a "cut it out" motion so they'd drop the subject. Emilia was one of the few people that knew about Marie's mother, but even she didn't know the whole story. There were some things that Marie just had to keep private about herself.

"I think I'm going to go settle in." Marie turned around and told them. She began to walk away when she realized she forgot something. "Oh, yeah." She said to herself. She turned around then gave Malarkey a quick open-handed smack upside his head. He hunched over from the impact, then whirled around and looked at her with bewildered eyes, grabbing the back of his head as it throbbed in pain.

"What the hell was that for?" He exclaimed. Muck had instantly started laughing, while Emilia looked just as confused as Malarkey was.

"For Bernice." Marie said with an impish smile. She spun on her heels then waltzed off to where all the women were staying on the ship.

"Skip! You told her?" She heard Malarkey shout before she was out of earshot.

* * *

There were more women going to England than Marie thought. Not all of them were going to be fighting on the front lines, most of them were going to be nurses stationed in England. There wasn't a lot of room on the ship, yet the Army still managed to keep the men and women separated. Marie climbed up to her bunk and settled in. It wasn't that comfortable, but it was bearable enough that she'd know she'd sleep. Florence was a few bunks from her, reading a magazine along with Diana. Marie didn't see Barbara anywhere in the room, she guessed she was in the bathroom or something. Florence's face had healed from being punched, much to her excitement. She'd slaved trying to cover it up with makeup day in and day out, Marie felt bad for her. She must've felt a lot of shame walking around with a big bruise on her face that didn't go away for weeks.

"Hey, Marie." Diana greeted.

"Hi." Marie replied, peeking over her bunk.

"Well, I'm bored." Florence declared, throwing the magazine off to the side.

"I was still reading that!" Diana complained, bending over her bunk so she could pick it up.

"You girls can sit here all you like, I'm going to have some fun." Florence announced, standing up to leave.

"Where are you going?" Marie asked her.

"To visit some friends." Florence said with a sly grin. Marie knew that she was going to sneak into where some of the men were staying.

"Be careful." Marie warned. She didn't want her to end up like Jane or to be hurt again.

Emilia came into the room, passing Florence and giving her a strange look. Emilia asked her where she was going and Florence just laughed in response. Emilia looked over at the girls, whom only shrugged. Emilia glanced up at Marie and smiled at her with that knowing grin that made Marie know that she was going to tease her. Why did she always have to taunt her?

"Hey, Marie, your boyfriend is single now. You have a chance." Emilia badgered. "Although I must say, hitting him wasn't a good way to start out the relationship."

"For the last time Em, he's not my boyfriend. Besides, they're going to get back together." Marie replied, annoyed.

"Then you should seize the opportunity before that happens." Emilia grinned.

Marie rolled her eyes then lay back down in her bunk. She continued to deny everything that Emilia had told her.

"Don't shut me out, Hun. You should live a little, give into your feelings." Emilia called up to her.

"You're starting to sound like Florence." Marie replied in an irritated singsong. She heard Emilia mumble something to Diana but it wasn't audible enough for her to understand.

* * *

The first few days sailing for Marie had been horrible. She had gotten seasick and had terrible menstrual cramps that had brought her to her knees from the sheer pain. She spent days on in inside the infirmary, clutching her lower stomach in pain and throwing up from nauseous feeling of the rocking ship. Emilia came to visit her everyday, sympathizing with how she felt. Malarkey and Muck on the other hand were told about her condition and decided they should keep their distance. Some men just got really uncomfortable when it came to things like this, but Marie didn't mind. She'd rather them not see her like this.

"You look like hell." Emilia told her as she sat on Marie's bed. Marie was lying down on her side, sweating profusely. She looked extra pale and was running a fever, but this happened sometimes during her monthly cycle. The sickening swaying of the ship wasn't helping her make any speedy recoveries though.

"I _feel_ like hell." Marie muttered weakly.

"Better not let Sobel see you like this. He'll make it an excuse to get you kicked out." Emilia whispered to her, making sure no one was in earshot.

"That makes me feel so much better." Marie groaned sarcastically.

Emilia moved some strands of Marie's hair out of her face. She was so sweaty that her messy blonde hair was sticking to her skin. Emilia frowned, starting to feel seriously concerned for her friend.

"Have the nurses given you anything yet?" Emilia asked.

Marie shook her head. "They're too busy. You know I'd treat myself if I could."

Emilia pursed her lips in frustration. "I'll be right back." She told Marie. She sat up and dashed off to find someone that would help her. She was furious that they'd leave Marie sitting on the bed without so much as acknowledging her existence. This had made Marie smile to herself. Emilia was such a dear friend and Marie appreciated her efforts to help her in more ways than she could express.

Emilia returned with a cup of water, motion sickness pills, and painkillers for Marie. Marie propped herself up on her elbow so she could take them. She swallowed them hastily, then lay back down on her pillow, shutting her eyes slowly in exhaustion. Emilia felt her forehead with her hand.

"You're burning up." Emilia announced, frowning at her friend's condition. "You sure you don't have the flu, too?"

"I'm positive. Just give me a few more hours and I'll be right as rain." Marie answered.

"I hope you get better soon. I'll keep Florence away from nestling into the Easy crowd. Lord knows she's really trying. We've got the best company of men, after all." Emilia said, joking with Marie. "I know how protective you are of them."

"Florence can do whatever she pleases." Marie mumbled, turning over in her bed sleepily, her back now facing Emilia. Honestly she didn't give a damn what Florence did with herself, she was raised to mind her own business and that's how she liked to keep it.

"Yeah? What if she starts flirting with Malark? And he _accepts _her out of some strange post break up loneliness_-" _Emilia started. Marie turned over on her bed to give Emilia an annoyed look. Emilia saw the rise she got out of her friend and laughed. "_Yo lo sabía, estás loca por él." _Emilia added in Spanish, still laughing.

"What? I hate it when you do that." Marie grumbled. "What did you say?"

"Nothing, dear." Emilia said innocently. Marie turned back around in her bed, knowing that Emilia would never tell her what she said.

Emilia stayed at her bedside until she was able to drift off to sleep. Marie dreamed of jumping out of planes and what she imagined Europe would be like. She had mixed feelings about going overseas. She was excited for the adventure of traveling to new places, but she was afraid of what the war would bring, especially being led by Sobel. She barely saw Sobel during the whole trip, but that was fine with her. Easy needed a break from his overbearing drills and presence.

All Marie knew was that she hated ships and she wanted to get the hell off of this one.


	7. Right Around the Corner

**Author's Note:**

**Wanted to give a big thank you to Straight Edge Queen for the review and the follow! **

**The past few chapters have been following Donald Malarkey's book. The next few will follow the TV series a little more. Sorry if some of the dates are a little off. Thank you all so much for reading!**

* * *

_Aldbourne, England_

_September 1943 – May 1944_

Shortly after 2nd Battalion arrived in England, Easy was set to do a sort of demonstration jump for Winston Churchill, Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Maxell Taylor and a list of other impressive names. Marie felt a little star-struck by these men and the fact that they were going to be watching them do their jumps. The jump itself was a cinch, it was just like every other jump they've done, but the pressure of trying to impress someone is what made this jump feel so heavy. After the jump everyone assembled at Greenham Common Airbase to await the inspection from the higher-ups. Marie was afraid that they wouldn't be too happy to see Emilia and herself there because they were women. Old military men like Eisenhower and Churchill were often stuck in the old ways of the Army.

Marie had butterflies and anxiously started to fidget. She wiped her sweaty palms on her pants, hoping that she wouldn't be caught not standing 'at ease.' Fidgeting was a bad habit of hers, she often had trouble standing still for long periods of time - especially when she was flustered. Marie saw that Malarkey was up in the front rank for reasons she didn't understand. He looked confused as well, it seemed like he'd be more toward the rear with the rest of the mortar squad. Eisenhower and Churchill went over to talk to him. They saluted him and she couldn't help but smile at that. It must've felt good to have dignitaries like them honor you and ask you questions. Marie marveled at how coolly Malarkey presented himself before them and answered their questions; he didn't look like it fazed him at all.

Marie nervously picked at the Red Cross on her left sleeve of her BDU as time ticked on. John Martin was standing to her right, watching her with his peripherals. She was so caught up in her anxiety that she didn't even notice him.

"Stop." Martin ordered in a hushed voice, nudging her with his elbow. She immediately placed her hands behind her back. The last thing she needed was to get lectured by General Taylor _and _Sobel about proper protocol when standing at ease. To Marie's relief, they never came to talk to her. She thought it was because she was too far back from the front of the line, but whatever the reason it made her feel relieved.

Back outside, some Easy Company members gathered around to talk about what happened. Marie walked over to join them. Malarkey saw her approaching, and extended his arm so he could welcome her. He wrapped his arm around her casually as the men laughed at their conversation.

"I can't believe an ROTC dropout like you got a salute from "Ike", Malark." Guarnere said mildly, shaking his head like it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever seen.

"Lucky you were placed at the front of the line." Luz said, clapping Malarkey on the shoulder.

"Damned luck of the Irish." Muck added.

"I'm glad they didn't talk to me." Marie piped up.

"Why?" Lipton asked her.

"It's too intimidating." Marie replied, honestly.

"That's why you were squirming so badly?" Martin questioned with authority raising an eyebrow at her. It reminded her of when she did something bad when she was a child and her father would give her "the look." No matter what she did, _the look_ would make her halt in her tracks.

"Yeah… sorry about that." Marie replied to the sergeant meekly.

"Don't apologize to me. Just don't let Sobel catch you doing that." Martin warned. He was right, Sobel already helicoptered around her so much as it is, she didn't need him to find an _actual _mistake that he could punish her for.

* * *

Malarkey and Marie made their way around the base, talking about their past week in England and how they were adjusting to life in another country.

"Churchill asked if I liked England." Malarkey told her. She listened curiously as they walked through the dew covered grass.

"Well, do you?"

"Honestly, not too fond of the weather." He replied flatly, looking up toward the sky. England always seemed to feel damp and overcast by clouds every single day. It was also very cold here, more cold than what Marie was used to. The chilly air forced Marie to hug herself to gain some warmth. She didn't mind all the rain, though. Rain meant lighter training with Sobel and more classroom lecture.

"Did you tell him that?" Marie asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Of course not. I'm also not very fond of the food, either."

Marie had to agree with him on that one. Two-thirds of the company had gotten food poisoning from eating here. Her face grimaced at the memory of the taste of the undercooked food, along with the memory of all the vomit she'd had to clean up at the infirmary the past few days.

"If I have to eat anymore mutton, I think I'm going to puke." Marie declared, sticking out her tongue. Marie couldn't stand the taste of sheep flesh. "But I am fond of the scenery and the history."

"Me too. The people here are friendly." Malarkey added. He was right about that. Some English soldiers had seen her on base along with her Screamin' Eagle patch and went over to talk to her. One of them even started to flirt with her, his charming accent had taken her off guard. She wasn't used to that kind of attention, she had glanced around to see if he'd been addressing someone else, receiving a laugh from the British soldiers. He'd asked her to join him in the nearby pub and she said she'd think about it. The encounter made her smile to herself in a girlish giddiness.

"What are you smiling about?" Malarkey's voice broke through her thoughts.

She kept grinning as she sauntered her way next to Malarkey. He grew more and more curious the longer she didn't tell him.

"C'mon, Hun. Why you smiling?" He asked again, with an amused chuckle.

"I was asked on a date." Marie told him in a jovial whisper. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. He had stopped walking, causing Marie to stop and look back at him, tilting her head to the side in question.

"A date? Who asked you?" Malarkey asked her, he looked taken aback.

"I know it's unbelievable that someone would actually ask me out, huh?" Marie laughed, although she actually _was_ surprised that someone asked her on a date. That had only happened once or twice in her lifetime.

"No! That's not what I meant." He said shaking his head. "I mean… who asked you? One of the guys?"

"It was one of the British soldiers on base." Marie replied, the light-hearted smile returning on her face.

Malarkey paused for a moment, glancing to the ground and working his jaw in thought. She studied him for a moment, swaying slightly side to side as she waited for him to speak.

"Did you say yes?" Malarkey's voice came out slow like he was almost pronouncing each word individually.

"I told him I'd think about it." Marie answered with a shrug.

"Good." Malarkey stated quickly. Marie raised an eyebrow at him, placing her hands on her hips. Malarkey's eyes widened as he realized what he'd just said. "I mean… it's good that you didn't say no." He added hastily, but his voice trailed off slightly.

"We should be getting back." Marie brought up, trying to relieve the sudden awkward tension. "Welsh is going to be giving classroom lectures soon."

"Yeah. Let's head back." Malarkey agreed, scratching the back of his head.

* * *

Through the months Sink had everyone learning self defense with his or her bayonets and bare hands. Marie didn't mind, in fact she got really into it when it came to fake stabbing someone with a rifle bayonet right in the chest. She held the rifle steadily, and yelled every time she went to thrust the bayonet forward. Muck had been her partner, and he only laughed at her sudden aggression.

"Jesus, Hun. I don't think we have to worry about you on the field." Muck informed her, a little out of breath from her intensity. She blushed, feeling embarrassed that she'd gotten so into it like a little kid playing soldier. "It's fine, you're doing great." He added, noticing her reddened face. "Better than me, anyway."

Marie cocked her head at this. It seemed so easy to her, she didn't comprehend that others could be struggling with the simple action of blocking, evading, and jabbing with the piece of steel.

"All you do is aim for the solar plexus." Marie stated simply.

"Yeah, I don't know what that is."Muck said, giving his head a little shake.

Marie pointed her finger at the area slightly under the chest where the two rib cages meet on his body. "There's an area here called the solar plexus, or celiac plexus where a lot of nerve fibers and arteries meet. Including some of the big ones like the renal and abdominal arteries. You can feel that there isn't much protection there like the breastbone." She explained, Muck listened intently but was giving her an amused look as he attempted to follow along. "You can guess that a blow there would be fatal."

"Look at you, you little smarty pants." Muck chuckled in a mild admiration.

Marie looked down at her shoes, feeling embarrassed again. "I'm so sorry. Sometimes I go off on these tangents and I know it's annoying, but-"

"It's fine, Hun. Impressive, actually. I wish Sobel could see past the fact that you're a woman and focus on your intelligence." He told her, holding up his hands so she'd stop apologizing.

She beamed at his words. "Thanks, Skip." She said gratefully.

The rest of the days consisted of mortar practice and targeting for Muck and Malarkey with Guarnere leading, while Marie and Emilia attended lectures on their specialties. Marie had spent a lot of her time with Roe and Spina while Emilia was stationed mostly with the lieutenants and Tipper. She and Tipper were busily at work with maps and everything in between.

Marie got the news that Winters was splitting up the four of them up. Marie and Malarkey were to be in second platoon while Muck and Emilia were to be in first. Marie would later find out the reason was because they'd gotten too close, with Muck and Malarkey being like brothers and Emilia and Marie being like sisters, Winters thought it would be bad if something happened and the other one would be too devastated. It wasn't the worst news Marie had ever received; they all still spent a lot of time together at the nearby pubs. The village of Aldbourne was quaint and had a friendly atmosphere enough to where it felt comfortable to wander around the streets. Weekend passes were out, just like it ad been at Toccoa the first few weeks, but that didn't stop everyone from enjoying themselves. When they did have a pass, the pubs had become a ritual to hang out at. This included a lot dart and poker games.

Soldiers from all over were seen walking around from places like Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. Stories of bombings and war spread like wildfire, leaving the feeling that the war was right around the corner for them. That's why so many soldiers were investing in the poker games and playing darts, they would take anything to get their minds off of the days to come.

Marie tried not to think about the war, so she played darts with Muck as much as she could. Marie had gotten to be a pretty decent dart player and had the upmost confidence that she'd win a round against him, which was nice because she'd sometimes score some money. He'd accepted her challenges, feeling happy to have something to get his mind off of what was to come, too.

"Up for another game? I'm gonna whoop your butt!" Marie boasted, holding a handful of darts as she made her way up to Muck whom was waiting for her by the dartboard.

"All right, but after that, we're playing some darts." Muck teased. She nudged him playfully making a grin spread across his face.

She threw the first dart and made a close bulls-eye. "Boosh!" She exulted as the dart hit.

"You're a natural." Muck exclaimed. He threw his dart and it landed quite far from center target.

Marie laughed. "Pitiful."

"Bite me." Muck muttered, but cracked a smile.

Nixon came in then, and told them with reluctance that the plans had changed. Easy had to assemble and go over some combat maneuvers. Everyone groaned and left the pub feeling the sinking feeling return.

Sobel had grown nervous to the point that he looked scared most days. He bore down on everyone harder than before out of nerves, and how afraid he was as the war approached. He was screwing up simple maneuvers, which was bad news for everyone he was leading. If he couldn't handle the pressure here, then he definitely couldn't handle the pressure out where the Germans were actually fighting. 1944 was fast approaching and no one felt ready for it.

Sobel was late with first platoon one afternoon for a simple maneuver as Marie waited with Winters and Guarnere. Winters had had enough waiting so he decided to signal Guarnere's platoon to head to the left while Winters takes the right. They got in position behind a bush and ended up almost running into an elderly man with a bike. Soon enough Sobel's familiar "hi-ho silver!" echoed and they were seen approaching from behind. So much for this being a stealth operation.

Marie later found out from Muck and Emilia that the platoon had played a prank on Sobel. Luz impersonated Major Oliver Horton's voice when he was out of sight and ordered him to cut a barbed wire fence so they could get through. Sobel was given hell from Strayer and the famers because the livestock had escaped and was trampling all over HQ. Unfortunately for Winters, Sobel had taken out his anger on him. Winters had chosen to take a court-martial over his other option, taking Sobel off guard. Sobel was jealous of Winters' leadership abilities and often punished the poor man because of his envy. But this time he'd pushed Winters too far.

It was early 1944 at this point when the word spread of the court-martial, everything had unraveled. Buck Compton had joined Easy as a new lieutenant but even he couldn't help with the patch up work. Out of defiance from Winters court-martial and from Sobel's inability to lead the men, a group of Easy Company men that included Guarnere, Lipton, Martin, Randleman, and Talbert had wrote a letter turning in their stripes. Emilia told her the news and Marie's blood ran cold. They could be shot for such mutiny. The tension was thick and it only made Sobel feel cornered enough to where he'd spring in for the attack at any moment. And his target this time had been Marie.

Marie was playing another round of basketball with Malarkey, Perconte and Randleman one afternoon. The stress was starting to get to everyone, and they all needed an excuse to take their minds off of Winters court-martial and what Sink would say when he received the turn in letters from the noncoms. Since Marie was so short, Randleman had picked her and like a small child and placed her on his shoulders so she could reach the basket easier. She had been giggling the whole time, happy that she was enjoying herself, because lately it had been rare. She dunked the basketball through the hoop, while Malarkey and Perconte struggled to block the shot.

"Are we playing basketball or chicken?" Perconte protested, but couldn't help cracking a smile himself. Marie was laughing too hard to realize that Florence was watching them, looking skittish. Something was on her mind, and she had picked Marie of all people to confide in.

"Marie? May I speak to you?" Florence called to her. Marie looked over at Florence and saw the fear and desperation in her eyes. Marie's smile faltered instantly. She signaled for Randleman to let her down. She ran over to Florence, whom gripped her arm tightly and pulled her further away from the guys.

"What's going on?" Marie asked her, concerned.

Florence glanced around, making sure no one was listening in. "I need a favor. A big favor, Marie. I don't know who else I can turn to."

"What?"

"I need you to do something for me."

"What do you need?" Marie asked.

"I need you to give me a pregnancy test in the infirmary." Florence told her in a low voice.

Marie's face drained of color. "Oh, Florence…"

"You know how to do one, don't you?" Florence asked her desperately.

"Yeah, I know how it works. Getting the hCG from your urine will be simple enough, but after I've got a urine sample I'll need to-"

"Let's just get it over with." Florence interrupted. Marie only nodded, hating this but she was Florence's only chance.

* * *

Lipton was given instruction to teach the soldiers about properly making a foxhole. Everything from how to dig them quickly, to the correct depth they'd gone over. They all stood with shovels in their hands, penetrating the damp ground with the ends then scooping up the dirt and throwing it overhead. Marie's hands had already started to blister; her hands practically screamed in protest as she gripped the shovel as she continued to dig into the ground. They'd been digging foxholes for well over an hour, and the men were starting to get fractious. Marie felt bad for Lip being given this assignment; it wasn't his fault that digging holes was so boring and yet physically grueling.

The constant friction on Marie's hands started to get worse. She had to take a break, her hands felt like they were going to fall off. She placed the shovel on the ground then looked down at her hands. The blisters were bad and some sections of her skin even started to bleed.

"Oh for crying out loud." Marie groaned to herself. Lipton saw her distress and went over to checkup on the female medic.

"Everything okay?" He asked her.

"I've got vesicles." Marie sighed, showing Lip her hands. "It's going to take a long time before the fluid seeps back in with these ones…" She muttered to herself, observing the blisters again.

Lipton gave her a sympathetic smile then patted on her shoulder.

"Go to the infirmary." He ordered her in a gentle voice.

Inside the infirmary she got bandages wrapped around her hands, there wasn't much that could be done for blisters. Marie also had a paper waiting for her given to her from one of the nurses. She stared at the folded paper, puzzled on what it could be. It was Florence's pregnancy test. Marie's eyes widened and her heart rate sped up as she quickly took the paper. She anxiously left the infirmary so she could run the results over to Florence, but little did she know Sobel had assembled Easy to go for a run. He had finally found his opportunity to pounce.

"Docherty!" His voice shouted, she stopped dead in her tracks. She turned to see everyone lined up in formation with Sobel in front, eyeing her dangerously. She reluctantly went over to him. "Get on your gear and-" He stopped when he saw the folded paper she was holding. "What is that, Docherty?"

Marie's flesh went cold. She looked down at her bandaged hands realizing that she was still holding Florence's pregnancy results out in the open. She cursed herself in her head for not slipping it in her pocket.

Sobel extended his hand. "Hand it over." He ordered. Marie looked up at him, her mouth agape from the order. Easy was watching the situation carefully from behind Sobel, her eyes locked with Emilia'. She looked confused. Marie didn't even tell her best friend about Florence's condition. Part of her wished she'd told her, Emilia would know what to do if she was in her shoes. Malarkey and Muck were also amongst the men, they looked just as lost as Emilia.

"Hand. It. Over." Sobel demanded again through gritted teeth. With a trembling hand, she gave the paper to her CO. He snatched it away from her then opened it to read it. A sneer appeared at the end of his lips as he read it silently, then he let out a laugh that made Marie shudder. Marie stood there, visibly shaking at this point. She wanted to cry at her stupidity for not being more discreet with Florence's results.

"Well, well, Miss Docherty. You've been quite _busy _lately?" Sobel told her with a sickening grin. She averted her eyes and stared down at her shoes, her face growing hot. He would think that they were her results, she didn't print Florence's name on them for anonymity. "I think Lieutenant Colonel Sink would be very _interested _to read this."

"What are you talking about, sir?" Marie's voice came out low and mechanical. She knew denying it was futile.

Sobel cocked his head, and sneered again. " 'What am I talking about?' I'm talking about this paper. It looks like the results of a pregnancy test, and look at this, it says the results have come out _positive_." He said it loud enough for the entire company to hear.

Everyone in Easy Company's mouths dropped open. Emilia gave her a look of utter disbelief. Muck and Malarkey stared back at her, slack-jawed. She bit her lip as she felt their stares bear down on her. Marie opened her mouth to tell Sobel that it wasn't hers, but she knew she couldn't rat out Florence. She closed her mouth and lowered her head in defeat.

"Go wait for me back in HQ, Docherty. We have much to discuss." Sobel ordered her, slipping the results in his breast pocket.

"Yes, sir." Her voice came out hoarse.

"I knew you were a little slut the first moment I'd met you. This is why women can't be on the front." Sobel spat. Marie openly glared at him, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from shouting obscenities at him. Her face had turned scarlet while angry tears welled up in her eyes.

"Did you hear me? You're dismissed. Get out of here and wait for me." Sobel barked.

She saluted him briskly then turned to walk to HQ. Her mind was racing, she didn't know what to do in this situation. If she covered for Florence then her entire military career would be over, she'd have to leave Easy Company. It was only a matter of time before Florence would start showing as well, but Marie knew that she couldn't live with herself if she revealed that the results were hers. Marie headed over to HQ as if she was walking the last mile.

But Marie never met with Sobel that day. Sobel had met with first Sink and that was it. Marie ended up waiting for hours outside of Sink's office, growing grimmer the longer she waited. Finally Sink's office door opened, but Sobel wasn't the one who came out, it was Florence.

Marie gaped. "Florence? What are you-"

"I couldn't let you take the fall for me, Hun." Florence said in a soft voice. "I told your commander everything." Florence walked over to Marie, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're a good friend, Marie." Marie watched her leave, too stunned to move.

It turned out that Marie would never have to face Sobel. She wouldn't have to deal with Sobel for the rest of her life. Marie was so happy to rid herself of that bully once and for all.

* * *

Sobel was gone. He was sent off by Sink to teach parachute jumping in the village of Chilton Foliat. Sobel was replaced by 1st Lieutenant Thomas Meehan, whom seemed like an okay guy. Winters was free of the court-martial, while all the noncoms that had written the letter turning in their stripes was given a second chance. Although one was dismissed and some lost their ranks, but at least they were still in Easy and were still alive. Things were starting to turn around, but everyone's spirits were still low. Florence had been discharged for fraternizing, so now Diana was the only woman in Fox Company. It was sad to watch her go, but Marie hoped for her sake that the pregnancy was a false positive. She was so thankful to Florence that she'd went and told the truth to Sink, Marie didn't know what she'd do if she'd been discharged. She never wanted to leave Easy.

1944 was greeted with the men getting serious colds from the weather, and were still getting sick from the food. Spring quickly approached, and before Marie knew it, it was already April. One more month and they'd be sent to Uppottery. That would be their last stop until the real fighting began. 1944 wasn't starting out as a very promising year. Malarkey had gotten really sick and was sent out to the hospital and ended up being held there for two weeks. Everyone was worried sick about his condition, he'd left Easy with a fever of 105 and was having serious aches and pains in his ears.

"I heard the doctor doesn't want him to jump out of planes anymore." Marie told Emilia one night while they were lying wide-awake in their barracks. "He's got some kind of serious infection, they've been shooting unbelievable amounts of penicillin into him."

"God…" Emilia gasped.

"It almost went to his head, Em. He could've easily died if it wasn't caught in time." Marie informed her.

"It's been a crazy few months." Emilia said with a deep sigh. "And it's only gonna get crazier."

Marie didn't answer.

"I know you're scared for him, Marie. He'll come back, he'll be fine." Emilia soothed.

"I hope you're right." Marie whispered.

Malarkey had returned feeling better, but not in the best of spirits. Malarkey had started writing Bernice again and now their relationship was back on. It seemed like a lot of men were rekindling old relationships as the invasion of France drew closer. Marie had mixed feelings about him being back with Bernice, but she'd never let him know that. She had to be happy for him. Emilia saw right through Marie's feelings, but she didn't say a word about it for once.

In early May Easy Company did their last practice jump. This jump was to be done in full gear, and none of them had ever jumped in full gear before. After that, all the practice jumps were over. Malarkey told her that they'd done about "three dozen total" and that was hard to take in. Now when they'd jump again, it would be the real deal.

Marie thought everyone would be cheery since Sobel was no longer leading the men, but she was wrong. Morale was worse than ever before. The stories of the fighting in North Africa and Italy were spreading around amongst the base. Everyone had spent well over a year preparing for the invasion, but no one truly felt ready. Marie wished that she was back in Toccoa for a brief moment, back when things were simpler and they were all wet behind the ears. The past few months at Aldbourne had been a whirlwind of chaos, Marie wished that everything would just slow down for a moment so she could catch her breath.

The night before the big move to Uppottery, Marie, Malarkey, Emilia and Muck all sat outside, staring up at the sky. This had become a sort of a nighttime ritual for them when they could all find the time. Emilia, Muck, and Malarkey were smoking, but Marie wasn't. She didn't enjoy cigarettes that much. When the war finally came, she wouldn't be seeing much of Emilia or Muck because they would be in a different platoon. She had to take every precious moment she could with all of them together and cherish it while she could.

Emilia removed the cigarette from between her pouty lips, and blew out a steady puff of smoke. She held it in her elegant fingers and glanced over at Marie, whom was slouching over, looking like she was in a slump.

"You sure you don't want one? It really takes the edge off. Not as much as alcohol, but it's a good substitute." Emilia told her with a small smile. Marie only shook her head.

"I wish we could've hit London together before all hell broke loose." Emilia sighed, regretfully.

"I know. That would've been fun." Muck agreed.

"At least we had the pubs to keep us sane for a short while." Malarkey said, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"I never did get to verse you in that last dart match, Hun." Muck added, looking over at Marie.

Marie smiled.

"You okay? You seem extra quiet tonight."

"Huh? Oh… yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." Marie said in a distant voice.

"You thinkin' 'bout that whole pregnancy thing with Flo? You really had me scared for a minute that it was yours. I thought that Brit that asked you on a date that one time knocked you up or something'." Malarkey told her, shaking his head at the memory. He looked a little disgusted by the thought.

Emilia and Muck both looked over at Marie. "What Brit?" Emilia questioned.

"It's _nothing_." Marie said, leaning close to Malarkey to get her point across and to signal him to keep his mouth shut. "I haven't seen that soldier since that day, anyway."

"You really thought Marie would get pregnant at a time like this?" Emilia asked Malarkey, eyeing him skeptically. "Our little saint here would never do that."

Marie rolled her eyes at the Puerto-Rican.

"Not before marriage, right Hun?" Muck said with a grin. "That's what my ma always used to say."

"But in all seriousness, I can't believe you'd take the blame for Florence." Malarkey brought up again, contorting his face at the very idea.

"I… It was the right thing to do." Marie concluded.

"No, it wasn't." Malarkey retorted. Marie only rolled her eyes at him. He didn't understand.

"Hey, be happy everybody. I want to go out tonight on a high note." Muck interjected. He blew his cigarette smoke in Malarkey's face. Marie and Emilia laughed as Malarkey waved the smoke away. Maybe Uppottery wouldn't be so bad, well as long as they'd be able to have their chats from time to time.

"I love you all." Marie suddenly heard herself say. All of them looked over at her, giving her funny looks. "I mean it… I don't know what I'd do without any of you."

Emilia wrapped her arm around Marie, pulling her into a side hug. Malarkey did the same, and Muck also joined in. They stayed in the group hug for a long time.

"You'll never have to find out." Malarkey soothed.

"Yeah, we'll always stick together." Muck said.

"Everything will be all right." Emilia added, her voice soft.

For once, Marie actually believed them. Everything truly felt like it would be all right.


	8. Night of Nights

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you Straight Edge Queen for another review! :D I'm so happy that you're looking forward to the updates! **

* * *

_Upottery, England_

_May – June 1944 _

In five days they would be invading France. Five days. Marie paced around her barracks, trying to exhaust the anxiety out of her but it wouldn't leave no matter what she did. No one was allowed to leave the base, so she couldn't even use a weekend pass to get her mind off of the big day. They had went over everything a hundred times over, everything from equipment checks, foxholes, artillery, passwords (like flash/thunder), what the Kraut uniform looks like, and they had studied maps of the English Channel and Cherbourg enough to where it was permanently burned in their brains. But even with all the training, Marie still was petrified.

"Stop pacing, Hun. You're making _me _nervous." Diana said, laying on her bed and reading a magazine.

"I'm just afraid something is going to go wrong. I mean we're going to be actually fighting." Marie murmured, chewing on her fingernails.

"You're a medic, you won't be fighting. I on the other hand am part of the Airborne Infantry, I'll be doing the killing." Barbara retorted while she was making her bed. "The boys won't let anything happen to you. Besides, Krauts don't shoot at medics."

"Yeah, that Red Cross you have on is like automatic immunity." Diana agreed.

Marie rolled her eyes. "You don't actually believe that, do you? I highly doubt the Germans are going to follow the rules."

"Relax." Diana ordered. "Just remember everything you've trained for, and you'll be fine."

"You're not at all nervous?" Marie asked her in disbelief.

"No." Diana replied, keeping her eyes on the magazine.

"Well the anticipation is killing me." Marie sighed, running her hands through her hair.

"It's just another jump." Barbara told her with a shrug while smoothing out the creases on her bed sheets.

Marie sighed again, shaking her head at them. How could they not be scared? They were entering Normandy for God sakes. They were jumping in right on top of the enemy. Some of them were going to _die. _Marie thought that they were just putting on brave faces. She left the barracks and went to find Emilia.

Marie walked into a tent where Winters, Meehan, and Emilia were going over maps and strategies before the jump. Emilia had been busy assisting with translating and geography so much lately that Marie had barely got to see her. Marie watched as Emilia drew on the maps with pencil and pointed to different locations, her brow furrowed in serious concentration. Marie saw that Nixon and Welsh weren't present. She guessed they were enjoying some time with their flasks before the battle begun.

"Sergeant Docherty. What can I do for you?" Winters addressed her, noticing her standing at the tent entrance.

"Uh, sorry, sir. I just wanted to see Emilia for a moment." Marie told him shyly. She felt dumb interrupting their plans just so she could chat.

"Sergeant Valdez is busy at the moment, Miss Docherty." Meehan informed her.

Marie's eyes went downcast in embarrassment. "Yes, sir. My apologies. Wait…" Marie snapped her head up at Emilia. She looked at Emilia's sleeve and saw the "T" under three chevrons. "Sergeant?"

Winters smiled. "Yes, we saw it fit to promote Valdez because of all the valuable work she's been doing. She's no longer a corporal." Marie couldn't believe it, she felt guilty for not noticing that she'd been promoted two ranks.

"Congratulations!" Marie beamed at Emilia. Emilia gave her a warm smile.

"Just give us a few more minutes, Marie. You can talk to Emilia then." Winters concluded. Marie saluted him then proceeded to wait outside the tent for her friend to finish up.

Emilia came out and they both hugged.

"Technician Third Grade!" Marie exclaimed, smiling at her friend.

"It's about time I caught up to you." Emilia said with a wink. "It's weird being a sergeant, or a staff sergeant I should say, since that's our technical rank. Too bad us techs still don't have the authority to give commands. I would've loved to boss the boys around."

Marie chuckled as she imagined them giving Muck and Malarkey orders.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Emilia asked.

Marie's smile fading as the fear rushed back. "Honestly, Em… I'm scared as hell."

"We all are." Emilia told her, tucking a loose strand of her black hair behind her ear. "Anyone who says otherwise is a damned liar."

"I guess that makes Barbara and Diana liars then." Marie said flatly. "They were giving me flack for being afraid."

"Just remember everything and you'll be fine." Emilia assured her.

"That's just it, I'm afraid I'm going to go blank in the middle of the jump. I can see myself being so nervous that I forget the entire objective." Marie explained.

"Remember the pathfinders are going to jump an hour before us to set everything up, so we'll have something to go by." Emilia reminded her. Marie nodded to that, feeling some of the uneasiness lift off her shoulders. "They'll send in the radar, then we're going to jump five miles inland from Normandy. Then we head for Utah beach. The rallying point is Le Grand Chemin. You know all this, Hun. Meehan has been over it with us a thousand times."

"We meet at Le Grand Chemin at 0700 hours." Marie added.

"Exactly. See? You got it." Emilia soothed. She patted her friend on the shoulder. "I've really got to get back to helping the lieutenants. I'll see you around. Try not to have a panic attack, okay? And don't keep expecting the worst." With that Emilia went back into the tent.

* * *

"Okay, P for Priority, M for Morphine, S for Stable, and F for Fatal." Ralph Spina went over with Marie slowly.

"I know… I'm just afraid I'll screw up." Marie told him.

"You're an RN, Hun. You are more qualified than the other Docs… well not the battalion surgeon, but you get the point. Just remember what they told us, don't spend too much time marking up the men with the letter system instead of treating them. That's only if they have to be shipped somewhere else or if you're assisting in the battalion aid station." Spina added.

"Thank you for going over everything again with me, Ralph." Marie said with a grateful smile. They were inside the tent where they spent a month taking in their last bit of medical lectures.

"Anytime. You ready for the big jump in two days?" Spina asked with a nervous smile.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Marie moaned. She left the tent and went back to her barracks so she could finish up the last few chapters of _Wuthering Heights_. The ending with Heathcliff dying unhappily only made the invasion feel even more ominous. She closed the book, unable to bring herself to read anymore of it.

She sat up on her bed and took a few deep breaths. Her hands clutched the mattress as she tried to steady herself. Tomorrow was June 4th they'd start preparing for the jump that they'd do early morning on June 5th. It all felt so unreal. Her leg was jittering in nervousness and her hands were slightly trembling as the held onto the mattress. She stomped her quivering leg in annoyance, her damned restless leg syndrome was really revealing itself now. She hadn't frozen up on the practice jumps, but when it came to the real thing she wasn't sure if she could go through with it. She cursed herself for feeling so cowardly and reminded herself that she'd be with Easy Company every step of the way.

* * *

Sitting outside by the giant C47 aircrafts made the reality of it all sink in even deeper. Marie was walking around, trying to find someone from 2nd platoon so she could get her supplies ready. She spotted Malarkey and started to head over to him when she saw Lipton walking around and shouting. He was reminding everyone to sign up for the 10,000 dollar life insurance. Marie knew she'd forgot something, she ran up to Lipton.

"Make sure you don't miss out!" He called again.

"Where is the signup?" Marie asked him.

"Right over there, Hun." Lipton told her while pointing.

"Thanks. My father could really use that money." Marie said, following the direction of his finger.

Lipton gave her a sad smile. "You already think you're not going to make it?" Lipton asked her, softly. She looked over at him with uncertain eyes and was about to say something when Martin walked up, looking distressed.

Martin had a letter from his wife. She found out that Guarnere's older brother Henry was killed in Monte Cassino. Marie clasped her hand over her mouth at the news. Martin had come to ask Lipton for advice on what he should do.

"I think you should tell him, Johnny." Lipton said with a sigh.

"Before the jump?" Martin didn't look pleased at his answer. Lipton offered his sympathies but there was nothing that could really be done about it. Lipton continued on with the life insurance message. Martin bit his lip and looked over at Marie.

"What do you think I should do?" Martin asked her.

"I'm not sure. Maybe you can make him find the letter by accident?" Marie suggested, giving her shoulder a little shrug.

"Maybe." He pondered a minute like he was considering her advice. "I'll figure it out. See you later, Hun." Martin said as he walked away.

Marie finished filling out the life insurance papers then went over to where Malarkey was sitting. He was struggling with his equipment along with Luz. Guarnere was sitting back and eating ice cream from a bowl. Seeing Guarnere made a wave of sadness wash over Marie. She fought not to let it show up on her face so he wouldn't think something was amiss. She sat down next to them and immediately started getting her equipment ready.

"Why are they springing these things on us now?" Malarkey questioned them as he continued to fumble with his equipment. Marie remained silent, slowly packing up her supplies and thinking about the inevitable future and of Guarnere's brother. The regiment was in limbo at this point, they knew they were going to jump but they were still waiting for the official word.

"It's just an extra eighty pounds strapped to your leg." Luz said in a sarcastic nonchalance. He held up a strap that looked like a rope and stared at it blankly. "Does anyone have any idea how the hell this thing works?" Luz looked around but everyone gave him a shrug. Marie thought it was crazy that they'd be jumping into Normandy without a clue how all of their equipment works. She shuddered at the thought but continued to pack up her medical supplies and check her chute.

A soldier came around and was passing out a letter to everyone. Marie took it and peered down at the paper, but she couldn't focus her eyes on the words. She felt relieved that Luz had begun to read it aloud, even if he was doing it in Sink's voice.

"_Soldiers of the Regiment,_

_Tonight is the night…" _Luz paused as he read on ahead. "Of nights…" He read in a serious tone, dropping his Sink impersonation. Marie gulped and looked down at her paper. It was official now, they'd be jumping in a few hours.

"That's why they gave us ice cream." Guarnere said.

Marie let out an anguished groan as she set the letter down and double checked her reserve chute.

"You all right?" Malarkey asked her as he inspected his M1.

"I guess, despite the fact that I might go into cardiac arrest from anxiety." Marie muttered.

"Want some ice cream?" Guarnere asked her, holding out his bowl.

"No thank you, Bill." Marie replied, looking over her shoulder.

"They didn't give you any weapons, Hun?" Luz asked Marie, looking down at her neatly spread out supplies. "Not even a sidearm, just all medical stuff." He observed.

"I got a knife." Marie told him, holding it up.

"That'll be useful in a gunfight." Luz said sarcastically. "They didn't give you a lot of stuff for the jump. Do they not think you can hold it all?"

Marie shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm not complaining."

"You're going to be fine, Hun. It's just like jumping all the other dozen times we've jumped. Except it'll be dark and there'll be Germans. But all you have to do is follow the platoon when we land in the DZ and you'll be golden." Malarkey told her.

"I know, I know. It's just… I can't help thinking that something is going to go wrong." Marie said. She could sense that something was coming, but she wasn't exactly sure.

"Don't get too worked up, Hun." Malarkey said with a sigh.

Marie had finished painting the black paint on Emilia's face when Meehan gave them the news from Eisenhower: No jump tonight due to weather conditions. The jump was now moved to the June 6th. There was a mixture of cheers and groans. Most were anxious just to get it over with, and the extra day of wait just meant more anticipation. Marie wasn't sure how to feel, her overwhelming mixture of emotions just made her feel exhausted above all else.

"Well, we have another free day." Emilia announced with a smile. She looked more optimistic about the jump being cancelled then Marie did. "They're playing a movie tonight, _Mr. Lucky _with Laraine Day and Cary Grant. You wanna watch?" Emilia asked Marie.

"Nah, I'll pass." Marie answered. "I think I'm gonna turn in early."

The next morning everything had to be assembled all over again. Emilia had blacken her, Marie found out that 2nd platoon wasn't really doing it so she decided not to. Emilia had cut the ends of Marie's hair back to its original length. Emilia protested that she should let it grow out a little because it looked pretty, but they were entering war. She didn't have the luxury to take care of her hair. They triple checked their gear and chutes inside the hangars. The weather had calmed down a great deal, so Marie knew that Eisenhower wouldn't call off the jump this time. The extra day offered little comfort, in fact everyone seemed grimmer than before. Papers with a message from Eisenhower were passed out to everyone. Marie looked down and read hers to herself.

_'Soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!_

_You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you… Good luck! And let us all beseech of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking!'_

At least _he_ was eager.

Inside the hangar, Father Maloney was also offering his words of faith to those who wished it. Hearing last minute prayers and scripture readings did help Marie feel a little more hopeful. She went over and decided to bow her head and pray along with the rest of them. She was a Christian, but to what denomination she had no idea, she just believed her own way. Maloney's voice was so calm and collected as he spoke on. He pushed up his glasses at the bridge of his nose from time to time as he read from the Bible. Marie saw Muck, whom was a devoted Catholic, holding on to a rosary. He saw Marie amongst the group and went over to her.

"Getting right with the Lord?" Muck asked her, he smiled but his voice sounded serious. He slipped the rosary in his pocket.

"Praying for everyone to have a safe landing." Marie whispered, trying not to interrupt Maloney's mini sermon. Marie glanced over at Maloney. "He's a good chaplain."

"He is." Muck agreed. They attended until Maloney was finished, then went to join everyone else. General Taylor was walking around and offering encouragement and saying that 'they'd only be fighting for a few days then they'd be going home.' Marie scoffed at his words. There was no way that Easy would be able to be bailed out that quickly. They were Easy Company - the company that always got the short end of the stick.

Out on the airfield, everyone prepped their gear for the jump. Marie watched as Malarkey put on about sixty-five pounds of weight. She felt awful that the mortar squad had so much strapped onto them, and that wasn't even all his gear.

"What is all that, anyway?" Marie asked him as they got ready.

"Uh, the bipod, base plate, tubes." Malarkey listed as he scanned his gear. "That's not counting the ammo, tools, weapons, and food. With everything that's almost 200 pounds I think."

"200 _pounds_? Is the Army crazy! Who sends men jumping out of planes with that much weight!" Marie exclaimed.

Malarkey shrugged. "It'll be fine." Malarkey eyes gazed over to find Emilia and Muck walking toward them. They would be boarding the C-47's soon. This was their last chance to say goodbye.

They all hugged individually. "I'll see you on the ground." Muck told Marie and Malarkey. Muck pulled Marie into a tight embrace, which she returned fervently.

"Keep her safe, Skip." Marie whispered. She was talking about Emilia.

"Yeah." Muck replied, whispering back. "You keep an eye on Malark, okay?" Marie nodded in response.

Emilia and Marie then hugged goodbye. Marie didn't want to let go, she knew when she did they would have to go their separate ways.

"Everything will be fine, Marie. I'll see you in Le Grand Chemin, maybe even before that." Emilia said to her.

"You better be waiting there." Marie said. Emilia only gave her a forced smile. No one could guarantee if they were going to make it.

With that being said, Muck and Emilia returned to their platoon. Marie looked over at Malarkey, biting her lip to keep herself from getting upset. He only gave her a weak smile, and they continued to ready their gear.

* * *

Everyone was lined up outside of the plane. Marie glanced around, and saw that she was jumping as the ninth person this time. Buck Compton was up front, along with Bill Guarnere. She was happy that it was them leading. Malarkey and Toye were also on her plane. She saw that Guarnere looked preoccupied. She wondered if Martin had found a way tell him about his brother, but she didn't want to ask. Marie studied each man that would be boarding with her. She carefully memorized their faces.

_Dewitt Lowery, Salvatore Bellino, Johnny Plesha, Cleveland Petty, Edward Bernat, Earl Hale, Thomas Burgess, John Sheehy- _Her thoughts were interrupted by Buck's order to board the C-47. With her heard in her throat, she walked onto the plane. Everyone was silent as they boarded. They all searched each other's eyes, all feeling the same thing. No turning back now.

Compton was going down the line as the sat inside the planes, handing out airsickness pills. Malarkey had refused them the first few times, but Buck had ordered him to take them. Marie wasn't taking any chances, she swallowed the pills down right away then waited. The nerves in her gut had bundled up at this point. The engine of the plane starting made her jump in her seat, making Toye give her a funny look. He was sitting right next to her, while Malarkey was a few seats down on the opposite side. Marie took a deep breath, unsuccessfully trying to calm her nerves.

Toye reached out and gripped her hand. She squeezed his hand in comfort. It was almost midnight and the plane had lifted off. Marie swallowed and closed her eyes. Once the plane was airborne it had all become official. She waited as the plane took them off into the unknown.

Marie started singing _Come Josephine, In My Flying Machine _to herself so she could calm down. She always sang that song as a child and it often helped during the rough patches of her childhood. She hoped it would help her now.

_'Come Josephine, in my flying machine_

_And it's up she goes, up she goes _

_Come Josephine, in my flying machine_

_Going up she goes_

_Up she goes_

_Balance yourself like a bird on a beam_

_In the air she goes_

_Up, up, a little bit higher_

_Oh, my, the moon is on fire_

_Come Josephine in my flying machine_

_Going up_

_All on_

_Goodbye'_

While singing to herself, she'd managed to drift off to sleep, feeling peaceful for the first time in days. Malarkey and Emilia's words echoed in her head: everything would be fine. As her eyelids grew heavy, she believed them for a moment. The verses floated around her subconscious until she was finally able to fall asleep.

_All on_

_Goodbye _


	9. Familiar Faces

**Author's Note:**

**Thanks a bunch Jessie for another great review! And I'm glad you mentioned how Marie is kind of cast aside when it comes to treatment (I was aiming for that actually) that's unfortunately how things go for her, she's always stuck in someone's shadow. Her self-esteem issues don't help with that, either. But her time is coming! I promise! And it's awesome how much you relate to Marie! :) ****As for Marie and Malark, we'll see what happens~ ;P**

**And thank you Straight Edge Queen for another review! I always look forward to your encouragement! :D**

* * *

_Normandy, France_

_June 6th, 1944 _

Marie's eyelids fluttered open. She rubbed her eyes drowsily, realizing that she was still sitting in the dark and noisy C47. She looked down at her hand, it was still entwined and clutching Toye's hand for dear life. Her hand had become numb for holding his for so long, but she saw that he was asleep so she didn't want to move it and wake him. Marie glanced around the plane, most of the guys seemed content. Some were smoking, most resting their eyes, she saw that even Malarkey had fallen asleep too.

Falling asleep helped ease some of Marie's anxiety, but she could still feel the bit of nervous butterflies in her stomach. It was either the butterflies or her feeling queasy from the airsickness pills; she didn't know which she'd prefer. The plane began to jitter a little, making Marie hop in her seat. Marie shrugged it off as a bit of turbulence, then shut her eyes to catch up on some more sleep.

The sound of explosions and distant gunfire made Marie's eyes shoot open. She recognized that sound anywhere: ack-acks. Marie peered at the end of the seats to where they would be jumping out of. Buck was looking outside - flashes of red and orange reflected off of his skin and his mystified eyes. Something bad was happening outside.

The plane jerked and rocked more, causing everyone to become stirred awake. The sound of the antiaircraft artillery was deafening, even more than the sound of the C47 engine. Buck turned to the platoon of wide-eyed men and motioned for them to hook up. This was it. All of Marie's fears came rushing back at the thought of jumping out into the immediate fire of the enemy. The red light suddenly flashed on, the sight of it made Marie's stomach drop to her knees. The plane was travelling way too fast to jump out at this speed, what were the pilots thinking? As the light turned green, solider after soldier leaped out the door. Marie saw Malarkey and Guarnere already jump out of the plane. Marie's place climbed up in line when the plane lurched, knocking everyone over hanging by their hooks.

For a split second Marie was afraid the plane had been hit. She gained her footing again then stood up, readying herself to jump out of the plane. Buck motioned her to move up waving his hands frantically as she struggled her way up the line. Staying on the plane was even more dangerous than actually jumping out into the artillery littered air. Marie made it to the door and peered outside. Bombs, fires, explosions, planes going down, and hundreds of men gliding down to the earth in parachutes – it was hellish but poetic at the same time.

"You have to jump, Marie!" She heard Buck scream into her ear over all the noise. Marie's feet were planted at the edge of the doorway, peering into the darkness that occasionally flashed with bouts of fire. Marie saw that the plane was losing altitude at an alarming rate. The lower the plane got, the easier a target it was for the Germans.

"Are we close to the drop zone?" Marie screamed back at Buck, trying to strain her voice over the gunfire.

"No! We've just passed Sainte-Mère-Église, but that doesn't matter! You have to go now!" Buck was ready to push her out if she didn't go.

Marie jumped out of the plane, waiting for the static line to open up the cover chute. Marie had so much adrenaline running through her veins that she almost forgot to count how long until the chute opened.

_One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, four Mississippi…_

She felt herself being suddenly hitched upward and prayed that a piece of shelling wouldn't hit her chute. She frantically glanced around, realizing that no one was landing around her; she could barely even see the ground as she approached it. She saw the light from the explosions reflecting off of something on the ground, she squinted her eyes, concentrating on what it was. She felt her heart skip a beat. It was water.

For an agonizing few moments, Marie thought she was going to land directly in the water. Her heart bled for those carrying 200 pounds that had landed in the water, she was lucky to barely be carrying anything. She thought of Malarkey, Muck and Emilia landing in the water and drowning from being pulled under from all the weight they were carrying. She shook the horrific thoughts of death out of her head and steered herself the best she could to avoid landing in the black and murky unknown. Eventually she hit the bank, her boots squishing under the wet mud. She rolled off her ankle and landed softly on her side. She didn't even care that she was covered in mud, she was too relived to have landed on the ground.

Marie stood still on the ground for a moment, listening for familiar voices, or voices from the enemy lurking nearby while trying to slow her breathing. She packed her chute when she thought the coast was clear, then proceeded to find the rest her platoon. It was bad luck that she'd been so delayed from jumping out when Malarkey, Guarnere, and Toye jumped. They could be about a mile away from her at this point. She had no idea where the hell she was or even if she'd landed at the DZ.

She quickly made her way to the nearest cover she could find. She jogged, slightly hunched over, to a hedgerow that she saw off in the distance. Not slowing her pace, she took a dive for the hedge then waited in silence for a moment. She was stuck in the middle of nowhere with no weapons, no maps, and all by herself. Marie's heart hammered in her chest as her head buzzed with the aftermath of all the noise from the plane and explosions. Her eyes were sharper than ever before as her instincts heightened while sitting in enemy territory in the dark. She knew that she couldn't wait at this hedgerow forever, she needed to find a way to jump in with some paratroopers and make her way to the DZ.

Her BDU's clingged to her body with a mixture of mud and sweat. Even in summer, she never imagined France to be this hot. She took out her canteen and hastily took a swig of water, forcing not to gulp it all down in one shot. Marie froze when she heard unfamiliar voices being carried in the wind. She focused on the words, and realized that they weren't speaking English.

_"Ich dachte, ich hörte etwas." _

_"Ich habe nichts gesehen."_

_"Halten Sie Ihre Augen für die Amerikaner."_

Marie listened to the voices pass by, growing further and further away. She wished she knew how to speak German, but Emilia was the translator, not her. When she no longer heard the Germans, she exhaled with a shaky breath of relief while clutching onto her knife. _Le Grand Chemin, 0700 hours. _She reminded herself, remembering the conversation she'd had with Emilia a few days before. Marie stuck her head out of the hedgerow, looking left and right to make sure she was alone. She adjusted her helmet that was sitting askew on top of her head, then hustled her way out of the hedge. Marie spotted some brush about ten yards from where she was standing, then scurried her way over to them. When she got to the brush, she kneeled down again, making it a routine to stay as quiet as she could.

_Buck mentioned Sainte-Mère-Église. That's miles away from the DZ. I hope I'm not too far off. _She thought to herself, feeling worried. If what he said was accurate, then she'd have a lot of walking ahead of her. Being a lone combat medic, not to mention an unarmed female one, was bad news in the middle of kraut territory. Marie peered out of the brush. She scurried out of the bush when she felt her foot catch on something. She started to tumble forward, but she caught herself in time before she completely toppled over.

_Dammit! _Marie swore to herself, glancing down at what tripped her. It was a train track. Marie squatted down, looking at both ends of the track running in opposite directions. She had to pick a way to follow, but she wasn't sure which one. _God I wish I could track like Em. _She thought to herself. She knew it wasn't smart to base her tactic from eeny, meeny, miny, moe but she didn't see any other options. Marie started following the tracks toward her left. She trudged along until she started feeling her feet and legs started to ache. It vaguely reminded her of the great march to Atlanta that 2nd Regiment had to do. That felt like a lifetime ago.

Marie heard boots coming toward her. She immediately crouched down. She saw a group of figures approaching her, counting at least five or seven of them. She knew it was too late for her to make a beeline back to the bushes, if she moved now they would notice her. The figures had stopped moving and looked startled like they'd seen her.

_Damn! _Marie thought, biting her lip as she stood crouched down and frozen. Her heart beat rapidly like it was having palpitations in her chest. She feared that she was going to get shot, or worse.

"Flash!" She heard a voice whisper-yell through the darkness. The voice sounded familiar to her immense relief.

"Thunder!" She called back with a lowered voice.

The figures appeared through the darkness, as they drew closer Marie stood up, trying to make out who it was. The familiar face of Dick Winters came into view, followed by some other men that were still too much in the shadows for her to recognize.

"Lieutenant!" Marie exclaimed in a hushed voice. "Man, am I glad to see you!"

"Sergeant Docherty, it's good to see you, too. You alone?" Winters asked her, shaking her hand as they reunited.

"Yes, sir. I landed by some lake and made my way here." Marie informed him. Marie peered over Winter's shoulder to see Lipton come into the light. She smiled at the other friendly, familiar face. "Lip!" She greeted, shaking his hand. "I'm glad you made it down!"

"Likewise." Lipton responded, smiling at her. "You're not with 2nd platoon?"

Marie frowned and shook her head. She prayed that they were all okay. Marie looked as the rest of the men came into sight. She didn't recognize any of them, they all looked like they were from different companies. Some of them weren't even from the 506th, they were from the 101st and 502nd. One soldier standing in front she saw had the Able Company insignia on his helmet.

"Wow, we're scattered all over the place, huh sir?" Marie commented as she scanned over the other men.

"You have no idea." Winters sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "We're miles away from the drop zone. We're about three-quarters of a mile east from Sainte-Mère-Église. That makes us five miles away from Utah Beach. I threw together this mixed unit, and now we're making our way to the rallying point."

Marie nodded in response. She was glad he knew where he was going. Marie looked back at the men, noticing that they were giving her bemused looks. She shifted in place, feeling uncomfortable under their stares. Something about those strangers made her feel uneasy.

"So it's true. The 506th _did _allow girls into certain companies." One soldier said, giving her a strange grin that made her skin crawl with discomfort. Another one smirked next to him, letting out a low chuckle. "Those lucky dogs must be enjoying a nice roll in the hay every night. What else would they need women for?" He looked her up and down, his tongue curling with delight as his eyes roamed her body. She hugged herself, trying to shield her body from their prowling eyes.

"You were useless in the dark, huh? Typical. You women with your sense of direction." Another one laughed. Marie felt herself blush from embarrassment and shrink back. The worst part was that they were right about her getting lost. The men continued to smirk, except for the young soldier from Able, he stared at her with large and sympathetic eyes.

"Hey!" Lipton snapped, reeling his head around at the jeering men. They all fell silent instantly. "She's a damned good soldier, better than all you numbskulls put together. She's also the best medic we have in our regiment. You do NOT talk to her like that. Ever."

"That's right." Winters agreed, turning around to face the men. "Never insult a Doc, she may just skip over you if you're injured on the field. She's what you have hanging between life and death out there." Winters turned and winked at her. Marie smiled bashfully at their defense. As Winters and Lipton started to lead the way, Lipton squeezed her shoulder in comfort as he walked by. Feeling a sudden burst of boldness from Winters and Lipton's words, she turned around facing the misogynistic soldiers and smiled at them triumphantly while flicking them the bird.

* * *

They trudged along for about twenty or thirty minutes in the darkness, following the railroad. Marie prayed that everyone had made it from her plane, along with Muck and Emilia. She had watched several planes go down before any paratroopers were even able to jump out. She shivered at the horrible memory, hugging herself as she stared down at the ground as she walked along. If anything happened to Emilia or Muck, she wouldn't know what she'd do with herself.

"What's your name?" She heard a soft voice say. She looked up to see the private from Able Company staring back at her.

"Marie Docherty." She answered, extending her arm.

"John Hall." He said, shaking her hand. He was about to open his mouth to say more, when a rustling sound came from the hedgerow on their left sides. Winters signaled for all of them to stop.

Marie was hunched over, her hand on the knife that was strapped to her side. She got ready to draw it just in case.

"Flash." Winters said into the shadows of the hedgerow.

"Thunder." A familiar voice replied. A figure came out of the darkness, Marie recognized that it was Bill Guarnere followed by Joe Toye and finally Donald Malarkey. Marie's heart did somersaults of joy to see her dear friend alive and well.

"Don!" Marie went over and wrapped her arms around him in excitement. Their helmets clinked together and made him stumble, taken off guard as she threw herself on him.

"Marie! You're okay!" Malarkey exclaimed as he got his bearings back, wrapping his arms around her as she clung to his neck.

Guarnere cleared his throat. They broke their embrace instantly. Marie felt like a fool for acting like that in front of Winters, her squad leader, and the rest of the guys. She felt her face grow hot as she kept her eyes down on her shoes. Winters went over with Guarnere where they were headed and they started to move out. Marie hadn't even noticed until she heard their footsteps crunching against the gravel of the tracks.

"Welcome back, kid." Toye muttered to her, tapping on her helmet as he passed. She quickly caught up next to Malarkey, ignoring the sneers from the men that had tagged along with Winters.

Marie caught up with Malarkey, who gave her a boyish smile that made her feel right at home. She took his hand by impulse and entwined her fingers with his. Malarkey didn't pull his hand away, they held hands for a little while. She felt a comforting warmness spread throughout her body. Despite being in the middle of a war, she felt more safe and content for the first time in days.

"I need both hands to hold my M1, Hun." He whispered to her apologetically, letting go of her hand. "We shouldn't let our guard down."

"Oh, right. Sorry!" Marie apologized, quickly bringing her hands back to her sides.

"Will you two quit fraternizing, and catch up!" Guarnere barked from ahead of the line. Irritation rang clear in his voice, making Marie feel guilty.

Malarkey shot a look to the back of his squad leader's head. "Sorry about him. He just found out he lost his brother. You know he doesn't mean it."

Marie knew that his brother died, but she only nodded her head. Before she could open her mouth, the sound of neighing horses pierced the air.


	10. The Longest Morning

**Author's Note:**

**Wow! Thanks again Straight Edge Queen for another review! Your reviews are always so sweet :') Thanks for taking the time to review on every chapter.**

**Updating early because I'm going to be busy this week. Enjoy, and thank you for reading! **

* * *

**There's some strong language in this chapter because of the dialogue from the show. Just a heads up!**

* * *

"Lipton, go!" Winters signaled Lip to go ahead and take some men to see where the noise was coming from. Marie was right on Malarkey's heels as the unit quickly made their way to a bush overlooking a street. Marie saw a group of Germans on a coach. Marie saw Winters give the signal to ready their guns out of the corner of her eye. She felt something in her stomach lurch at the thought of killing these men in cold blood when they were least expecting it. She knew they were the enemy, but how different were they from them really?

Marie listened to them casually speaking German to each other, not expecting that they were right under some paratroopers noses. She felt like she was going to be ill.

"Wait for my command." Winters whispered.

Without warning, Guarnere suddenly started shooting at the Germans, mowing them down and screaming with satisfaction. Marie watched him, stunned as he kept his finger on the trigger, pumping out round after round. Because of his impatience, everyone else had to start firing at the Germans. It was a massacre. The Germans bodies were falling over, horses were neighing in distress, and blood was getting everywhere. Marie could only watch, wide-eyed in horror at the sight of the group of men getting killed.

"That's enough, Guarnere!" Winters yelled, pushing Guarnere's rifle down. At this point shooting at the Germans was just overkill. Guarnere looked relentlessly back at Winters. Marie could feel the blood lust radiating off of Guarnere; it made chills run up her spin as he showed no remorse.

Marie's eyes were still on the dead bodies. She trembled as she watched blood seep from their bodies and stain the pavement. A wounded horse whinnied in pain as it struggled to stand up after being shot in the leg several times. The sound was torturous to the ears, not because it was loud, but because it was so heartbreaking.

"Everyone okay?" Winters asked, glancing around at the soldiers that were still huddled by the bushes. Some grunted 'sir' in reply, not sounding very convincing. Everyone went down to inspect the Germans bodies. Marie knelt beside one, studying his face. He looked so young, no older than eighteen or nineteen. She felt bile raise to her throat but she swallowed it down.

"Next time I say "you wait for my command", you wait for my command, sergeant!" Winters scolded Guarnere.

"Yes, sir." Guarnere answered testily.

A sudden gunshot made Marie jump. She whirled around to see that Toye had shot the injured horse, putting it out of its misery. Marie and Toye both locked eyes for a second. They both had a mute understanding on how grim they felt about the whole situation.

"Quaker." She heard Guarnere mutter as he continued to walk on. Marie didn't like seeing Bill this way – so angry and full of resentment. She had never seen anyone be so trigger-happy and kill a group of people without batting an eye before. Malarkey came up from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder. His touch startled her, making her whip her head around. He gave her a sad smile and motioned that they should keep moving.

"What's that guy's problem?" Hall asked them in a low voice. He stared at the back of Guarnere's head as they cleared the area.

"Gonorrhea?" Malarkey answered with Bill's nickname, questioning the young private if he was talking about him.

"Really?" Hall asked surprised. Marie couldn't help but suppress a laugh.

"His name, dummy. Guarnere/Gonorrhea, get it?" Malarkey replied impatiently.

"So besides having a shitty name, what's his problem?" Hall asked again.

Guarnere had heard him this time. He glared back at the young private. "None of your fucking business, Cowboy." He snapped.

Marie felt the atmosphere grow tense. Hall and Malarkey didn't say another word, and Marie didn't feel like she should open her mouth. Bill was really on edge after losing his brother, and Marie was afraid that if she added anything else to the conversation, he'd be pushed over the edge.

"All right, let's move out, quietly." Lipton ordered, trying to ease the tension.

"Sir." Everyone muttered in unison.

* * *

They trudged along for hours, stopping and taking breaks every once in awhile. Winters didn't want to stay idle for too long, so he kept the unit moving all the way until the sun started rising. Marie's head was buzzing with fatigue as her muscles pulled, aching from walking for too long. Marie saw that they were by a swampy area. It was peaceful, but the mosquitos and noseeums were a terrible nuisance. She swatted at her neck as they bit and stung her, attracted to her sweat.

Guarnere was griping about Winters the entire time, complaining to Toye who tried to debunk his theories on the lieutenant. Marie started to grow grouchy from the lack of sleep and from listening to Guarnere complain for hours. Malarkey and Hall walked in sullen silence next to her, their tense faces telling her that they felt the same way.

"You see him? He just sat there." Guarnere said to Toye, still talking about Winters.

"He didn't have a weapon, what's he gonna do, shout at them?" Toye retorted.

"Yells at me for killing Krauts."

"He just wanted you to wait for his command." Toye reminded his irritated friend.

"Joe, he don't even drink." Guarnere sneered.

Marie couldn't take anymore of the banter. "I don't drink either, Bill." She cut in. Guarnere and Toye looked back at the medic.

"They were Germans, we were gonna shoot them anyway." Guarnere muttered, blowing off her comment.

"Orders are orders. Besides, what you did was out of anger, not the objective." Marie said, knowing that she should watch herself, but she was too annoyed to care.

"I don't need you gettin' on my case, too, okay?" Guarnere warned. Marie only shrugged her shoulders, raising her eyebrows at him to test him if he'd go further. He grumbled and turned away from her, not wanting to deal with the moody soldier.

"Watch yourself." Malarkey whispered to her. "I don't agree with him either right now, but he's still our squad leader."

"Whatever. Watching him kill those Germans was horrible and scary. I don't care how upset he is, there was no need for that." Marie hissed back.

"I shot at them, too."

"But you weren't the first one to pull the trigger." Marie added.

"You can't rationalize like that, Hun. Krauts are krauts, they're bad, they're the enemy. I know what Bill did wasn't right, but we were going to kill them anyway. This is war, you'll get used to it." Malarkey explained to her in a low voice.

"I don't want to get used to it…" She mumbled. She hated herself for not being able to cope with combat as quickly as everyone else.

The unit came across an open area with an abandoned barn and what looked like the remains of soldiers, both American and German, and equipment scattered about. Winters signaled everyone to stop and sent Lipton ahead to check if everything was clear. Lipton and one of the soldiers that had joined Winters and Lip scouted on ahead. After waiting in silence for a moment, Lipton motioned to them that it was safe to proceed.

Marie looked up at the tree that towered above them on the vacant property. A dead paratrooper hung from the branches, slightly swaying side to side in the wind. She shuddered at the memory of Malarkey telling her that he'd almost gotten stuck in a tree during one of his practice jumps. This could've easily happened to him, although this poor soul had gotten trapped right above some Germans that had fired upon him while he was stuck in the tree.

"Anybody needs supplies or ammo, now's the time to get it." Lipton announced, kneeling by another dead paratrooper. The group started to turn over the bodies and search for supplies, taking anything they could salvage.

Marie decided she'd do the same. She searched one of the bodies for any medical supplies that she could add to her pack. Malarkey rolled a body over and started searching it over.

"I promised my kid brother I'd fetch him back a luger. So I got first dibs, okay?" Malarkey addressed the group." Malarkey looked over at Marie. "Check that one."

Marie nodded, rolling another body over, checking the pockets. "Sorry, Malark. No luck with this one." She felt like she was disrespecting these men, but it was important for their survival to take any supplies that they could get. She only wished that these paratroopers could get a proper burial.

The rumbling sound of a plane passing by made everyone flinch and instinctively duck for cover. Marie looked up at the sky as the plane zoomed by them.

"It's the Navy." Lipton reported, much to everyone's relief.

"The landings have started, let's go!" Winters ordered, already starting to move on ahead. D-Day for Utah beach was officially a-go.

"Right on time." Hall commented, checking his watch.

"Yeah, tell that to him, Cowboy." Guarnere said, blazing past him.

"My name's Hall."

"That so?" Guarnere sneered, still walking on ahead. Marie sighed, shaking her head. She wished that the old Bill would come back.

"You just gotta learn to return his fire, is all." Malarkey told the young private from Able Company.

"Just gotta realize it ain't about you." Toye added. They all started to follow Winters and Lipton. Marie walked behind Malarkey, feeling another wave of fatigue wash over her. She wanted nothing more than to curl up on the ground and go to sleep.

"He just heard his brother-" Malarkey started.

"Malarkey, shut your yap." Guarnere demanded from ahead of them.

Malarkey paused a moment, waiting for Guarnere to be out of earshot before continuing on. "His brother got it in Cassino, found out before he jumped." Malarkey informed Hall.

Hall pondered this for a moment, finally coming to understand Guarnere's attitude. Hall didn't say anything else, afraid that Bill would hear him if he asked anymore questions. Instead he looked back at Marie, whom was struggling to keep her heavy eyelids open.

"If you don't mind me asking, ma'am, what made you join the front?" Hall asked.

"I wanted to help." Marie answered simply.

"You couldn't help in the hospitals? Or stay over in England? There are a lot of positions in the States that you could've assisted with."

Marie was used to this question, but she could never fully explain why she wanted to so desperately be a part of the war. She was glad she was, if she stayed in England she'd be away from Easy.

"Well, to be honest working in hospitals is grueling and hellish work. Besides, jumping out of planes is way more fun." Marie told him in all honestly.

"Hospitals can't be any worse than this." Hall exclaimed.

Marie chuckled darkly. "Oh, they can. Trust me. And besides, I wouldn't want to be anywhere without these guys." Marie said, while patting Malarkey and Toye on the backs.

Malarkey and Toye chuckled at her, and returned the gesture. Hall smiled at their camaraderie.

"Aww, how sweet." Malarkey gushed, teasing her.

"What about your mother? I'm sure she's worried sick about you." Hall asked.

Marie's smile faded. It stung at the thought that her mother actually didn't give a damn about her. Hell, she didn't even know where the woman was. Marie's posture grew rigid at the mere mention of her mother. The boys watched her carefully as she grew tight-lipped.

"Pick up the slack, guys!" Lipton yelled from ahead of them. Marie was thankful for his interjection, she didn't feel like talking about her family issues at the time.

* * *

The unit made it to a forest and met up with some more Easy Company men, and some soldiers from other companies. They were getting close to the rallying point, but Muck and Emilia were still nowhere to be seen. Marie was growing less and less hopeful as the hours went on without a word from her dear friends. It was still quite early in the morning, but Marie was expecting the worst. Most of Easy Company was still MIA. As they reached battalion, the air was filled with the distant sounds of bombs and gun shellings from Utah Beach. Marie tried not to think about what the men on the beach were enduring.

As they walked on, a group of German POWs was sitting on the sidelines. A lot of the men snickered and teased them as they walked by, but Marie remained silent. Malarkey on the other hand was in a joking mood.

"Top of the mornin' to ya fellas, enjoying the war?" Malarkey jeered in a thick Irish accent. The passing soldiers laughed, but the POWs only stared at him with emotionless, devoid eyes. He leaned close to one of the POWs that was sitting closer to the path. "Where you from son?" Malarkey said with a laugh and continued to walk on.

"Eugene, Oregan." The POW responded in perfect English. Marie stopped in her tracks and looked back at the man. He didn't sound German.

"Eugene? You gotta be kiddin' me!" Malarkey exclaimed. Popeye Wynn walked by, Malarkey tapped him on the arm to get his attention. "Popeye, you hear this?" Popeye only shrugged at him, not really showing any interest in a captured POW. "I'm from Astoria." Malarkey turned his attention back to the captured German.

"You don't say." The soldier answered coolly.

"Yeah! Orange street. What gives, what're you doing in a kraut uniform?" Malarkey questioned. Marie stayed back with Malarkey as the rest went on ahead. She felt anxious to keep moving, but she was curious as to why an American was fighting with the Germans. For a second she thought he was some kind of spy, but that didn't seem very likely.

The soldier mumbled something in German.

"Come again?"

"My family answered the call. All Aryans should return to the fatherland." The soldier said.

"You're shitting me, right?" Malarkey replied.

"Hey, Malarkey, Docherty, stop fraternizing with the enemy, get over here!" Someone called from up ahead. Malarkey signaled him to go on without them, while Marie waved at him apologetically. They were starting to get peeved with them for staying behind.

"What got you to Eugene?" Malarkey asked.

"I was born in Eugene."

"For real?" Malarkey smiled.

Malarkey sat beside the POW, carrying on a conversation with him as soldiers passed by, eyeing them with distaste. Right up ahead was _Le Grand Chemin_, that's where everyone would be assembled to go over the next course of action. Marie fidgeted awkwardly, waiting for Malarkey to finish up chatting with the enemy. Malarkey looked back at Marie's anxious face and knew it was time to go.

"Well, I gotta run, see you around." Malarkey said, sitting up and joining Marie.

"See you around." The man echoed distantly. He gazed at Marie with a mild curiosity before she broke his stare by turning around and heading up to the rallying point.

"Small world, huh?" Malarkey said cheerily to Marie.

"Yeah…" Marie muttered. She noticed Lieutenant Ronald Speirs heading towards them. She wondered why Barbara's Company's CO was headed in the opposite direction, but Malarkey didn't pay him much mind when he stalked by. Marie's eyes fixed on his tanned and handsome face, streaked with dirt and paint from the jump. She continued to observe him over her shoulder, watching as he made his way to the POWs.

They began to climb the hill when the sound of rapid-fired gunshots came from behind them. Marie and Malarkey whirled their heads around, looking back into the forest. Marie's stomach dropped. She knew exactly where the shots were being fired.

"Shit…" Malarkey whispered.

_That Lieutenant Speirs… is a mysterious man, and a dangerous one. _Marie thought.

Marie and Malarkey headed to _Le Grand Chemin _without saying a word. They felt shaken after hearing the POWs get shot, and knowing that Speirs had done it. Those Germans surrendered, they shouldn't of been killed execution style like that.

As the rallying point came into sight, Marie spotted Toye sitting against a slope with a few other men. She made her way toward him, gently pulling her dazed Irish friend along.

"What took you so long?" Toye asked them, giving them a wry smile. Marie rolled her eyes at him, knowing what Toye was thinking her and Malarkey had been doing in the woods by themselves. Malarkey sat beside him, nervously taking out his canteen and fumbling with the cap. He took a drink, his hands trembling as he held the canteen. Toye frowned. "You okay?"

Marie bit her lip, trying to decide whether she should tell Toye what happened or not. She sat beside Malarkey, while Toye still waited for an answer.

"You're not gonna believe this, Joe." Marie started, gazing over at her curious friend.

* * *

Inside one of the tents, Winters met with the few members of Easy Company that were present, and was going over a battle plan with them. Marie was hoping for at least a day of rest before they sprang into action, but it couldn't be done. Marie stood next to Hall, whom she thought should be with Able Company, but he stuck around with them.

"The 88s we've been hearing were spotted in a field down the road a ways. Major Strayer wants us to take them out." Winters explained, drawing out the formation with a pencil on a paper. "There are two guns that we know of firing on Utah Beach. Plan on a third and fourth here and here." He pointed to his drawing. "The Germans are in the trenches with access to the entire battery with machine guns covering the rear. We'll establish a base of fire, and fast with two squads of three."

"How many krauts they think we're facing?" Guarnere asked.

"No idea." Winters sighed.

"No idea?" Guarnere repeated, not looking too happy with their odds.

"We'll take some TNT along with us to spike the guns. Lipton, your responsibility." Winters continued, nodding over to Lip.

"Yes, sir." Lipton answered.

"Liebgott, you take the first machine gun with Petty, Plesha, and Hendrix, you take the other." Winters scanned the group. "Who does that leave?"

Buck, Malarkey, Toye, Guarnere and Marie raised their hands. Hall did, too, but Winters seemed to blow over him.

"Okay, we'll be making the main assault. Understood?" Winters finished.

"Yes, sir." Everyone said in unison.

_The main assault. _The words played over and over in Marie's head. This was it, she was finally going to be getting real combat experience. She felt a little dizzy at the thought, but she knew that this is what she trained for.

"Marie." Winters voiced called her softly.

"Sir?"

"Do you have enough medical supplies?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. My pack is filled to its maximum."

"Good. You're the only medic present in Easy right now, so you need to be Johnny-on-the-spot when someone needs you to patch them up. It'll be a lot of running, and you need to expect wounds and casualties." He told her in a calm voice.

"Yes, sir."

Winters nodded at her. He looked to the rest of the men. "Pack up, boys."

Butterflies fluttered around her stomach in anticipation for Brécourt Manor. There were only twelve Easy Company soldiers present, thirteen if Marie was also counted. She bit her lip nervously, thinking about the how many Germans would be out in the field. They could easily, and mostly likely, be outnumbered. They were definitely outgunned.

"You all right?" She heard a voice ask her. She turned to see Lip standing beside her, putting his helmet on.

"Yes… I'm just scared." Marie told him.

"We all are. You need to get yourself ready. Brécourt Manor will be starting soon, it's already 0830, we need to hustle." Lipton said, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Marie went to quickly make sure she had everything. She couldn't believe it wasn't even 9am yet and all of this was happening so quickly. She double-checked her supplies then uttered a quick prayer before joining the others outside of the tent. Outside she saw Barbara standing close by, talking with some D Company men, her M1 slung over her shoulder. Her platinum blonde hair tied back in a tight bun.

"Barb!" Marie called, waving at her.

"Marie!" Barbara jogged over to her friend and hugged her. "I'm glad that you've made it. Ready for Brécourt?" Barbara asked with a nervous smile.

"I guess. I'm the only medic so it should be fun." Marie deadpanned.

"Well, Dog Company will most likely be your reinforcements once we get word." Barbara paused a minute, something on her mind.

"What's up?" Marie asked her friend, puzzled.

"It's… Diana." Barbara muttered.

Marie went cold. She had a feeling that what Barbara was about to say was going to be bad news.

"Her plane went down. Her and a bunch of other Fox Company members are missing, but it's the same with everyone. She could still show up." Barbara tried to sound reassuring but her voice faltered. Marie thought of Lieutenant Meehan. He was missing, too, meaning Easy didn't have a CO. Marie couldn't stand the thought of Diana going down with the plane.

"Private Goode!" A D Company soldier barked.

"I have to go. Take care!" Barbara said, pulling Marie into another tight hug before running off.

Marie stood still, unable to move by the news she gave her. She knew that there was very little chance that Diana was going to show up. Marie just prayed that the same didn't happen to Emilia and Muck.


	11. Brécourt Manor

**Author's Note:**

**Thanks again Straight Edge Queen for another review! Your reviews really inspire me to keep on writing :)**

* * *

**Whew! This was a difficult chapter to write! Sorry if I'm not that great at writing out battle scenes. More strong language in this chapter because of the dialogue from the show. Thanks for reading!**

* * *

_Normandy, France_

_June 6 – 7th 1944_

Winters gathered everyone around outside the bushes and tress that hid them all well from the field. The trenches were just up ahead but were out of the protection of the tree line. Marie's adrenaline started making her restless; although she was terrified she was itching to get going with Brécourt Manor.

"Okay, just weapons and ammo, drop anything else." Winters ordered. He looked over at Buck. "Compton, second squad."

"Yes, sir."

"Okay, you heard the word, let's move, let's move." Lipton said in a hushed voice.

They ran across the tree line and past what looked like someone's garden. There was a farmhouse on the far side of the field that was supposedly housing Germans. They took cover before the field and watched as the Germans marched around, guarding their guns and trucks. Malarkey and Marie both took cover next to a large tree with Buck and Winters huddled beside them. Compton peeked out of cover, then drew his head back in.

"MG 42s." He reported.

"I'll draw their fire from the right to the truck. Take two men and head for the left." Winters instructed.

Lipton and two men started shooting out into the field for covering fire.

_This was it, it has begun. _Marie thought.

The Germans now alerted started to shoot into the trees where they were taking cover. Marie covered her head as bullets whizzed past them, splintering the bark from the trees. Buck chose Malarkey and Guarnere to go take care of the first gun. Marie sat up and started to follow them.

"Stay back, Marie!" Winters yelled over all the commotion. She halted, doing as she was told. She wanted to follow Malarkey, but Winters told her to stay put for the moment until he gave her the all clear. Marie followed Winters, Hall, Plesha and Ranney down the middle of the field and into the nearby trench. Running out in the open was terrifying, Marie thought for sure that she was going to get hit. As she ran, her heart was thumping in her head the entire time.

Buck's squad had started shooting from the right flank, drawing the attention of the Germans. When the fire had finally ceased it was time to make another mad dash across the field and head closer to the guns. Marie took a deep breath and followed the men across the field, sprinting as fast as she could. A German was no more than ten feet away from them as they quickly approached, but Buck took him out with his machine gun. Malarkey and Guarnere were behind them as the covering fire shot off when they made their sprint over to the trench. Malarkey pulled out a grenade and threw it inside the upcoming trench, two Germans were firing a machine gun down there. So much was happening at once that Marie couldn't wrap her head around every detail. She just followed everyone, dumbly, around the fray, hoping for the best.

Marie took a flying leap inside the trench and landed roughly on her side. She gathered herself and noticed that someone was crying out in pain. Marie frantically glanced around, trying to locate the source of the cries.

"Who's hit?" Marie yelled out.

"Over here!" She heard Buck's voice call from a little further down the trench. She ran over to see Popeye lying on his stomach, whimpering in pain. Buck was standing protectively over him, reloading his rifle. "Where you hit, Pop?"

"I can't believe they fucked up my ass, sir." Popeye cried.

"Your ass?" Buck echoed, looking down at the soldier, slightly amused.

"Let me see, Popeye." Marie said, kneeling down beside him. She took out a pair of scissors from her pack and quickly started to a little hole in the back of his pants, not caring about his modesty, but about his safety. She inspected the wound. "It's a clean shot, you'll be fine." She said, pulling out some sulfa powder from her pack. She patched him up as fast as she could, bandaging the wound after applying the sulfa. She quickly took out a syrette from her pack and gave him a small shot of morphine.

"He's going to need to crawl back to battalion." Winters said to Marie and Buck. "Can you do that?" He addressed Popeye.

Popeye nodded. Buck and Winters helped him out of the trench while an escort helped him make it back. The two men were already making their way down the trench when Joe Toye caught up to Marie. They were on the move to the one of the big guns. Winters turned his head to order both Toye and Marie to keep going when he saw a German grenade being tossed right at their feet.

"Joe! Marie! Look out!" Winters shouted. In an instant, Toye wrapped his arms around Marie as he dove and practically flipping them both over to avoid the explosion. The grenade went off, causing dirt and dust to be kicked up all over the trench, Toye's body shielding her from the debris.

They both sat up after it was safe. "Are you okay? Jesus, I owe you my life!" Marie said breathlessly. He only nodded, looking stunned. His rifle took the brunt of the grenade, making him be weaponless. Marie saw Malarkey further down the trench, looking at her with concerned eyes. Marie and Toye made their way down the trench, meeting up with Buck, Winters, and Malarkey. Marie was ordered to stay behind as the men scrambled to the big gun and took it out. Marie waited, frustrated because waiting was all she seemed to be doing since the whole thing started.

After it was safe, Marie followed them, keeping her ears out for anything calling out 'medic.' There was so much chaos going on around her that it was hard to concentrate on multiple things at the same time. The group took cover under one of the big guns that had been taken out, firing their weapons at the Germans and getting ready to make their way to the next set of guns. Malarkey started to reload his rifle hastily, and had his eyes set on one of the dead Germans lying across the field.

"I think one of those dead krauts has a luger!" He announced. Before anyone could say anything, he bolted out in the open toward the body.

"Christ!"

"Jesus!"

Marie heard some soldiers exclaim as he ran out of cover. Marie couldn't believe that he was doing this, just to get a luger. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she worried for her friend's life.

"Don!" She screamed.

"Malarkey, you idiot! Get back here!" She heard Winters yell. She never heard Winters even mutter harsh words or any kind of insult like that before.

Marie watched Malarkey make his way to the dead German, she held her breath in fear the entire time, praying that he wouldn't get hit. He came sliding to a stop next to the body and started to search.

"Now you stop firing?" A soldier exclaimed next to her. She hadn't realized that the Germans had ceased fire when Malarkey ran out in the open.

"Christ, they must think he's a medic or something!" Plesha exclaimed.

"He's gonna need a goddamned medic!" Guarnere snapped.

Marie's eyes followed to the farmhouse where a lot of Germans were stationed. They had huge machine guns ready to fire upon Malarkey as they came to realize that he wasn't a medic. Malarkey got up and dashed back toward cover.

"Run, Malarkey!" Marie screamed again.

Marie watched in horror as the machine guns fired at him, missing him by mere inches as he ran and dodged across the field. The men were all calling him back as he approached the cover of the 105 gun. Malarkey had made it by some miracle, and leaped back into cover. Marie caught him and pulled him up against the sandbags. She wanted to beat the hell out of him for what he did, but she felt too relieved that he was safe. She held him there with shaky hands as he tried to catch his breath.

Guarnere was still firing at the Germans by the hedgerow. The others did the same, but the Germans machine guns still pounded against their cover.

"You get your freakin' luger, you stupid mick?" Guarnere shouted over the gunfire. Malarkey didn't look like he took any offense, he still was trying to catch his breath from the near death experience that he'd had.

"Never do that again." Marie said fiercely to Malarkey, pulling at his lapels and leaning close to his face so he'd understand the severity of what he'd done. Winters ran over to them. They were all taking cover from the guns now, not firing at the Germans. They were ready to take out the next gun, but they needed the TNT, and were stuck in this position as the Germans continued to rain heavy fire on them.

* * *

They were stuck in the same place for about an hour. Marie watched as the boys fired their weapons, running low on ammo. Marie knew that they couldn't sit and wait too much longer, it was getting more and more dangerous the longer they stayed. Marie started to worry about Lipton, she hadn't seen him since Brécourt started.

"Where's Lipton with that TNT?" Winters asked.

"Don't know, sir." Guarnere answered.

Hall came then by pure coincidence, carrying some TNT himself. Marie saw that Cleveland Petty had suddenly collapsed a few feet from them, taking a bullet to the neck. She dashed over to him, and pulled his limp body to cover. She pressed her palm up against his neck to slow down the bleeding, but she saw in his eyes that he'd already been killed. He didn't even have a pulse. She looked back at Winters and shook her head.

Hall and Winters went and took out the next gun, he had sent everyone off so they could get moving again. Marie was going to follow them when she saw two more soldiers collapsing in the field. Soldiers were dropping either dead or injured all over the place and she'd only managed to patch up two people so far. Despite what Winters told her earlier about being 'Johnny-on-the-spot' when it came to running and treating wounded soldiers, he had ordered her to stay behind for most of the operation.

Another soldier collapsed right before he made it to the trench. Marie peeked over the trench and saw him laying face down a few feet from her. She pulled herself up, and swung a leg over to climb out of the trench, when she felt herself being pulled down.

"Stay down, Marie!" She heard Winters say from behind her. She turned and looked into his blue eyes. She felt a bit of annoyance and defiance raising up inside her; he kept changing his mind on what she should do.

"But you told me to-" Marie started to protest.

"Just come with me!" Winters started to pull her along to the next gun. Winters and Hall disabled it without a problem but they all found themselves being pinned down by the German fire. Malarkey set up his mortar tube and fired round after round on them, with Buck doing the same.

Marie found herself waiting again, wanting to beg Winters to let her go back and at least give those men some morphine if they were still alive. But she knew Winters wouldn't let her. She knew he was just trying to protect her, but she wanted to be treated like everyone else as a soldier, not because of her sex.

"Running a little low on ammo, sir." Buck shouted at Winters above the gunfire.

"How 'bout you, Malarkey?" Winters asked.

"Okay!" Malarkey replied, not taking his eyes off where he was firing.

"Think you got enough to take out the third gun?" Winters asked them.

"We'll soon find out, Dick. Malarkey, let's go. Toye, cover!" Buck ordered, taking Malarkey away to run to the big gun. Toye shot at the Germans, drawing their attention away from Buck and Malarkey.

Marie watched as they got pinned down again. There was only one more gun, but they kept getting stuck every time they got close. Marie felt someone tap on her helmet, she looked over to see Toye pointing in the direction where Buck and Malarkey had run.

"We're almost there, Hun!" He yelled over the gunfire. He grabbed onto her BDU collar and lifted her up to her feet. He led her all the way to the third gun to join everyone else. Marie let herself be dragged alone, still feeling dazed by all the gunfire and constant activity.

As Toye and Marie came to meet up, she saw by the expression on their faces that they were frustrated with being pinned down again.

"We've reached a stalemate. Hours of fighting, and we can't get to the last gun after knocking out all the others!" Malarkey told Marie, his voice ringing with irritation. This was dragging on longer than they all suspected.

As if on cue, Lieutenant Speirs appeared, along with some of his men, and Barbara. He had ammo draped around his neck, and looked fiercely determined to reach the fourth gun.

Barbara squatted beside Marie, a wild look of adrenaline in her pale blue eyes. Marie could barely recognize the girl that she'd come to know at Toccoa.

At least she wasn't ordered to stay behind.

"I told you we'd be your backup!" Barbara said to Marie. Before Marie could even comprehend what was happening, Marie watched as Speirs led his soldiers right out into the open and toward the fourth gun.

In the middle of it all, Lipton had finally arrived, bringing the TNT at last. Marie was relieved to see that he was okay. Before she knew it, they started to withdraw, unable to get enough reinforcements to take out the rest of the Germans, and for running low on ammunition. Brécourt Manor was a success, although Winters would have Easy return after a day's rest to finish the job. They stayed in the farmhouse for a day, picking off what they could and finalizing Brécourt. They had left with twelve German POWs. Easy had only two wounded and four killed, although Marie felt bothered by the four deaths because she felt that she could've done something for them. Hall had been killed Winters would later tell her, only adding to her frustration of not being able to do anything to help. She thought of Hall and his large, sympathetic eyes.

Despite feeling bitter than Winters had held her back, Marie was just happy to still be alive.

* * *

They were back with battalion in some abandoned "bombed-out village" as Malarkey described it. It was dark out, about 20:00 hours. They only had an hour of rest to get food before they were moving out again. Marie was inside one of the trucks under a tarp, joining some of the guys as Malarkey attempted to make them all something to eat. Marie hadn't noticed how hungry she was until Malarkey had started to make the rationed food. It didn't smell very appetizing, but Marie was too starving to care. Her stomach growled with anticipation the whole time she was in the truck.

Malarkey thumbed at his helmet that was sitting on his lap as he cooked their meal. He had a picture of Bernice tucked inside. Marie studied the photograph, feeling the familiar mixed feelings return. She shook the thoughts out of her head.

_You're being ridiculous, Marie. _She scolded herself.

"Jesus Christ, get me out of here!" Liebgott grumbled, climbing out of the truck, his voice interrupting Marie's thoughts. Guarnere quickly closed the tarp behind him. Marie guessed that he couldn't take the smell anymore.

"How we doin' Malark?" Guarnere asked, growing impatient.

Malarkey tested the food, bringing it to his lips and tasting it. "We're doing good." Malarkey showed the food to Buck.

" 'Doing good?' How the hell do you know about cooking, you're Irish." Buck said with a smirk.

Marie couldn't help but giggle. She looked over at Lip whom was sitting next to her, but he looked distant. He sat there in the truck, being extra quiet. Her smile faded as she studied him. She hoped he was all right.

"Sir, if you have a reservation some place else, I'd be happy to go." Malarkey replied, pouring some of the food in his mess kit. He passed the food around, Marie held out her mess kit and watched as the food was poured inside. Marie couldn't tell if it was beans, or something mixed with beans as she looked down at the brown, runny concoction.

All of them started to laugh, mostly at how bad the food smelled. Marie started to eat it quickly, not giving herself anytime to savor how it tasted. She was far too hungry to pay attention to the taste, she only needed something to fill up her belly.

"See? She likes it." Malarkey laughed, pointing at Marie.

"Jesus Christ, give me some air." Guarnere said, sticking his head out. Everyone laughed again, all except Lipton. Marie watched as Lip held his mess kit in his hands, but he didn't eat.

Before Marie could ask him what was wrong, Winters stuck his head inside the tarp.

"Evening." He greeted.

"Hello, sir." Guarnere replied.

"Something die in here?" Winters asked, making a face. Everyone chuckled again.

"Yeah, Malarkey's ass." Toye joked. The laughter erupted again, Marie almost choked on her food as she laughed along with them.

"Any word on Lieutenant Meehan, sir?" Buck asked, growing serious.

"No, not yet." Winters sighed.

"Don't that make you our commanding officer, sir?" Guarnere asked.

"Yeah, it does."

Toye extended his hand, holding a bottle of wine out to Winters. "Sir." He said, gesturing to him.

"The Lieutenant don't drink." Guarnere reminded Joe.

"It's been a day of firsts." Winters said, taking a sip of the wine right from the bottle. "Don't you think, Guarnere?"

"Yes sir."

"Carry on." Winters told them. Everyone told him goodnight. "And sergeant?" Winters added, without fully pulling his head out.

"Sir?" Guarnere questioned.

"I'm not a Quaker." Winters said, leaving them. Everyone erupted with laughter. In the middle of all the laughter, Marie turned her attention back to Lipton.

"You okay?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Hun. Just exhausted." He replied in a tired voice.

"I don't blame you, there." Marie chuckled. "Get some sleep, Lipton. You worked hard out there." She patted him on the shoulder, putting her mess kit down.

"Damn, you really scarfed that down." Toye said to her, looking at her empty mess kit.

"Told you I was an all right cook." Malarkey chimed.

"Oh please. Hun will eat anything you cook." Buck said, winking at Marie. Marie stuck out her tongue at him, but cracking a smile afterward. She rubbed her drowsy eyes, the heavy exhaustion returning.

"Time for some shut eye, huh?" Buck said with a smile.

Marie nodded, noticing that Lipton was falling asleep too. Marie leaned her head against Malarkey's shoulder, shifting in her spot to get comfortable enough so she could fall asleep.

Everyone said their goodnights while Marie closed her eyes, feeling herself start to drift off to sleep. Marie couldn't help but think of Emilia and Muck. There were so many others still missing from Easy Company. She wanted to talk about it, but she didn't want to bring up the subject and down the men's spirits. This had been the first time they'd had a laugh in days.

Some of the men fell asleep and started to snore. Marie was too worried to fall asleep right away, her thoughts still on Emilia and Muck, and on what Barbara had told her about Diana.

"Still not asleep?" She heard Malarkey whisper to her.

"I'm worried about Skip and Em." Marie responded in a tired whisper. Malarkey was silent, Marie knew that he was dreadfully worried about them too. "Barb told me that Diana's plane went down, there's a good chance she's dead. I'm afraid that-" She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. She let her voice trail off.

"I'm sure they're all right, Hun. There's a lot of guys still missing. They'll show up." Malarkey assured her.

"I hope you're right, Don." Marie whispered.

With that being said, Marie forced her eyes shut and struggled to fall asleep. She finally managed to fall asleep, she dreamed of plane crashes, grenades, and of Malarkey running out in a open field in the middle of crossfire.


	12. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

**There's some quotes and dialogue from Malarkey's ****_Easy Company Soldier _****in this chapter. Enjoy, and thank you for taking the time to read! I always appreciate it!**

* * *

_Carentan, France_

_June 8 – 16th 1944_

Marie watched the fields pass by as the truck drove them all to their next destination. She felt herself being eerily calm as she gazed upon the endless orchards that passed by. Every once in awhile the remains of artillery and a dead animal would be splattered across the green, making Marie realize that they were all in the middle of a war again. There was a nice summer breeze that day; the smell of grass would make Marie feel nostalgic about back home. She could picture her father mowing the lawn. Sometimes the breeze carried the pungent odor of death along with it, too, making Marie cover her nose in disgust from time to time.

"France is beauty and the beast." Malarkey said to her, acknowledging the same sights she was observing. She gave him a small smile, letting him know that she was listening. "Other than all the death, this place really reminds me of Willamette Valley. I used to watch sports there in the fields all the time while hitchhiked from Astoria to Eugene." Malarkey smiled fondly to himself as the memories played in his head.

"Feeling homesick?" Marie asked him softly.

"Nah – it's just… in the States, just as we were all coming of age and getting comfortable with school, girlfriends, jobs, along came a war." He sighed. "In France, just when we were all getting comfortable with war, along comes reminders of home." He gestured to the fields.

"You're bumming me out, Malark." Toye interjected, half asleep.

"Did More tell you what we found?" Malarkey said, suddenly going off topic.

"What?" Marie questioned.

"Back in Normandy. We came across some bags in some liberated French village. We were mostly looking for candy bars, but inside we found some pink baby bootees." Malarkey explained.

"So?" Toye shrugged.

"_So, _Alton is married. His wife just gave birth to their first child when we first arrived in England." Malarkey added. "He started cryin' when he saw the bootees."

"Damn… I had no idea." Toye muttered.

Marie didn't say a word; she knew the point Malarkey was trying to get across. Things were hitting too close to home lately, and everyone was having a hard time adjusting as time went on. The story was a humbling reminder what was waiting back home for them. Marie tried to think of something other than the chance that More could die and never meet his newborn. She shuddered at the thought then went to focus her attention back on the field. Dead livestock came into view, slaughtered by bullets. The torn up flesh smelled rancid as rotting meat filled the air. Marie covered her nose with her BDU collar; her BDU was still caked with dried mud from the jump into Normandy two days before. Covering her nose was of some relief; she much more preferred the smell of mud to the smell of rotting flesh.

"I think we're all feeling a little homesick…" Malarkey sighed deeply.

"What do you miss most about home?" Toye asked him, trying to lighten the mood.

"Uh, I dunno. I guess I miss the food. I miss Bernice, basketball, singing with my fraternity choir, my family, obviously. Ya know, stuff like that." Malarkey replied.

Toye nodded at his answers. He looked over at Marie, whom was still staring off at the scenery. "Hey, Hun."

"Hmm?"

"What do you miss most about home?"

Marie thought about her life before the war. It was hard to think back before Toccoa. It's like the life before she enlisted was starting to fade away; simply slipping between her fingertips. Easy Company was the only thing that mattered to her now.

"Well?" Toye said, raising his eyebrows at her prolonged pause.

"I miss listening to my sister sing in the church choir. I miss playing baseball with my brother. I miss my dad's cooking, and my bed." She yawned. "I miss a good night's sleep. And being able to read books regularly."

"Hmm, interesting." Toye said, looking a little puzzled by her answers.

"What?"

"It's just… I thought you'd miss dresses, makeup, cooking and stuff like that. Like bein' a girl." Toye explained.

Being a girl. Marie was never a "girly-girl" growing up. She never really had the opportunity to learn how to be like other girls. She was always so caught up with her schooling, and helping her father care for the family. Marie wasn't very domestic, either. She was terrible at cooking, no matter how many times she tried.

"I never really got into any of that stuff, and I'm a horrible cook." Marie laughed, remembering all the meals she'd try to make in the past.

"You never mentioned your mom." Malarkey pointed out.

Marie felt herself stiffen at the mention of her mother. She didn't answer; instead she looked back out at the orchards, trying to imply that she didn't want to talk about her mother.

"Marie?" Malarkey queried, leaning over to his side so he could look at her face. She ignored his stare, focusing only on the land. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired." She replied curtly, still not looking at him. 'Just tired', the perfect excuse getting out of anything. Lord knows that she had to use that line to get out of conversations like this more times than she could count.

More dead livestock passed by the truck, making the beautiful scenery become tarnished once again. The smell and scenery was like some terrible form of irony or a forewarning to what was approaching.

* * *

Carentan was a small town of only four thousand people. A few of the companies, including Easy, were waiting around for orders outside of the town. Marie, Malarkey, Luz, Perconte, and a few other guys were all sitting under a monument. Marie lied down next to Malarkey on the steps of the monument, staring up at the blue sky as time ticked on. No one knew what was happening yet, they weren't sure if they were passing the small town, or taking the main road to Cherbourg.

Malarkey and Toye were cautious of Marie's mood after her refusal to speak of her mother on the way. She remained mostly quiet, and so did they. She didn't mind the silence; she found it more comforting in times like these.

Malarkey pulled the cigarette from his mouth, wanting to break the silence. "Want a smoke, Hun?" He asked her.

"No thanks." She replied.

"You don't smoke or drink, how are you able to stand all this?" Perconte asked her in a tone of disbelief.

"I don't know." Marie said with a shrug. "I just think things out instead of trying to forget them." It was a lie; she disliked cigarettes and alcohol for deeper reasons than she could tell them.

"That must be frustrating." Perconte answered, arching a brow at her.

"You have no idea." Marie chuckled. She closed her eyes, letting herself bask in the sunlight. She felt like she could drift off asleep again, but a voice shook her out of it.

"Hey, fellas!"

Marie's eyes flew open, she recognized that voice. She turned her head to see Talbert leading some men over to where they were resting. There was someone else Marie could almost make out; she shielded her eyes from the sun.

It was Emilia. Emilia's face was streaked with paint from the jump and some dirt from their journey. She looked strangely beautiful with the marks on her face. The darkness on her face made her dark eyes seem bolder, also complimenting her skin. Some of the men from other companies whom had never seen Emilia stared at her, admiring her beauty, mostly in awe, followed by a few catcalls. Emilia strode past them, proud and confident, holding her head high. Talbert walked beside her, waving over to Easy Company.

"Emilia!" Marie shouted happily, bouncing onto her feet and taking off in their direction. She hugged Emilia, laughing with relief that her friend was alive. It had been three days since she'd seen her last, and the entire time she feared she was dead.

"Damn, girl! You almost knocked me over!" Emilia laughed, pulling Marie back and clutching onto her shoulders. "Calm down!" She eyed her overly excited friend, quizzically.

"I thought you were dead! You didn't show up at Le Grand Chemin, I was worried."

"Worry-wart." Emilia teased. "We were misdropped and had to make our way back here. It just took a long time."

"Yeah, most of us were scattered to hell and back like sticks in the wind. We honestly wouldn't have made it here without Em." Talbert told Marie. He stared fondly over at Emilia.

"Well look who decided to show up. Floyd!" Luz called, making his way over to the group. Luz and Talbert both shook hands, giving each other a pat on the back.

"Thought we'd never find you guys. Well, until we ran into Emilia." Talbert said.

"Hey, Tab." Liebgott called, unfolding a Nazi flag to show him. "Get a load of this, real nice huh?" He showed everyone his newest souvenir, proudly.

The men continued to catch up. Marie and Emilia made their way back to the monument. Emilia stopped walking for a minute, and tugged on Marie's sleeve.

"See the guy laying down?" Emilia whispered. Marie looked over toward Malarkey and Perconte, a blond haired soldier was lying beside them, his eyes shut in the sunlight. "He's an odd one."

"What's his name?" Marie asked, mildly curious.

"Albert Blithe. He just stares out into nothing from time to time. He's really quiet, teary eyed, and jumpy. A bad combination." Emilia explained, a hint of reprimand in her voice.

"Oh, come on." Marie dismissed. He was just one soldier, why was she so keen on his faults?

"I'm serious. He travelled with us the entire time. We found him hiding in his foxhole, not even trying to find his way around." Emilia shook her head. "I remember him from Toccoa, he's always been… off. But in combat he seems even worse."

Marie rolled her eyes at her friend, thinking that she was being overly critical. She went over and returned to her seat next to Malarkey. Emilia did the same, greeting Perconte and Malarkey, and eyeing Blithe with uncertainty.

"Got any souvenirs, Em?" Perconte asked.

"No, sorry Frank." She answered. He showed her all the watches he'd collected. Blithe looked disturbed by the fact that Perconte was taking the watches from dead soldiers.

Malarkey took a drag of his cigarette, not listening to the conversation. Marie laid herself back down on the steps.

"Still no Skip." He mumbled.

"He'll turn up." Marie tried to reassure him, but her voice didn't sound confident.

"Meehan's still missing." Malarkey added. They both laid there in silence, until their break time was interrupted.

"Let's go! 1st platoon! Easy's moving out, on your feet!" Welsh shouted. Everyone stood up to listen and gathered around Welsh for the briefing. "Listen up, it'll be dark soon. I want light and noise discipline for now on. No drinking, no smoking, and no playing grab fanny with the man in front of ya, Luz." He said, staring over at Luz.

The men sniggered. Marie and Emilia cracked a smile, glancing over at each other.

"So where we headed, Lieutenant, huh?" Someone asked from amongst the company.

"We're taking Carentan. It's the only place where armor from Omaha and Utah beach can link up and head inland. Until we take Carentan they're stuck on the sand. General Taylor is sending the whole division."

They already started to prepare to move out, separating into their platoons. Marie didn't want to leave Emilia after finally being reunited with her, but she made her way back to 2nd platoon.

"Remember boys, give me three days and three nights of hard fightin', and you will be relieved." Luz said in his best General Taylor impersonation.

"1st Platoon, you fall in behind Fox Company, you people from 2nd platoon, follow us." Welsh finished. Everyone started to leave.

_Fox Company, maybe Diana will be there. _Marie thought, trying to hang onto the little hope that she could still be alive. It was still somewhat possible, not everyone was located yet.

"Another thing to remember boys, flies spread disease, so keep yours closed." Luz piped up again in General Taylor's voice.

On the move again, they made their way over to the road that would lead them into Carentan. Marie remembered the scenery and smells of their trip here, making her stomach stir. She felt anxious and uneasy, like she did before Brécourt Manor. She swallowed the feelings down, attempting to keep them at bay, as they approached their next objective.


	13. Battle of Carentan

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you Straight Edge Queen for two other reviews! I really appreciate all the support that you give this story! I love keeping up with the timeline and making it as accurate as I can :) **

**And thank you theadventurer for following the story!**

**Thank you BriaMercedes for the follow and the favorite!**

* * *

It was now D-Day plus six, and the actions toward taking Carentan were still underway. Marie lay on the ground, next to the dirt path as she stared up at the small town ahead. It seemed eerily quiet as they all waited in their positions. Marie stared at the large _Café _building, feeling the usual anxious butterflies in her stomach. She was getting tired of this assignment, they'd been going nonstop for days now, and it was really starting to wear on her and the rest of the men. She'd patched up so many bloody soldiers that she was afraid they wouldn't have any left by the time this whole thing was over.

Easy Company was explained that the Germans wanted this small town because they needed to bridge their troops from Omaha and Utah beach. Easy Company, along with some of the other companies that followed, spent the days camped out on the roadway by 'Douve River' as Malarkey called it. She hated staying there, early in the morning horrible, piercing sounds of sirens would wake them all up, followed by the sounds of Stuka's bombing Carentan. They all took cover in ditches, waiting for it to pass.

_'Never relax.' _Malarkey told her, as they waited, huddled together in a ditch the first morning. Now everyone was gathered for the big attack. F Company was on the left flank, and D Company was in reserve. Marie saw Barbara again before they'd gotten into position, looking worried but eager to get this started. Over the past few days Muck had reunited with Easy, much to Malarkey and Marie's relief. But Diana was still missing.

Harry Welsh went ahead and moved 1st platoon up. Marie caught sight of Muck and Emilia, praying that they'd be okay. All four of them were finally back together again, she didn't want that to be taken away after they had just reunited. Before she knew it, the Germans started firing their machine guns down the middle of the path. Much to Marie's horror, mortar fire mixed in with the rest of the bullets. Everyone sprang for the trenches, trying to shield themselves from the oncoming fire.

Everyone was now in a panicked frenzy. The Germans had split up the platoons right down the middle and now had them all in a perfect position to we wiped out. Marie joined the rest with digging their foxholes deeper with her hands, trying to get deeper to protect their heads from getting hit. It was the heaviest gunfire Marie had ever experienced, and Easy hadn't even had a chance to fire back.

"Get those MG's moving, will ya?" Strayer shouted over all the gunfire. The MG's were right out in the open. Marie watched as no one moved, everyone stayed down in the ditches, digging deeper in a panic.

"Move out! I said move out! Let's go!" Winters started hollering. Buck joined in trying to get everyone moving up to take cover in Carentan, but still everyone remained still. Marie couldn't bring herself to stand up in the middle of the gunfire and mortar fire. Her legs felt too weak to support her body.

Winters continued to yell, looking angrier than Marie had ever seen him since she'd met him. Finally, Marie forced herself up and scrambled forward, her heart stuck in her throat the whole time. She felt like she was going to die at any moment as she ran forward. She took cover behind a building, almost slamming into it full force from not wanting to slow down. Marie frantically looked around, she realized that her and Malarkey had gotten split up in the whole barrage. She felt horribly alone without him being with her in this heavy fire. Marie glanced across the building, next to her cover she saw Lipton and Perconte taking cover behind a building parallel to hers. A soldier standing by them had gotten shot and now was laying on the ground, motionless.

Marie went to check on the solider, but Lipton held his hands out, signaling her to stop. The man was already dead. Marie felt sick to her stomach as she waited until it was safe to cross over. Lipton gave her the all clear and she quickly dashed over to her side. Marie's knees gave out on her, her fear overcoming the objective. Bile raised in her throat, but she swallowed it down. She felt Lipton lift her up, he held onto her shoulders tightly, studying her eyes with a gentle approach like a doting father.

"Are you okay? We can't stay here, Marie." He told her softly. "These men are depending on you. You need to get your act together."

Marie nodded, ignoring her fear and trying her best to focus on the objective. Perconte tapped her on the back affectionately before taking off out of cover. Marie peeked out from behind the building, enough to see Welsh throw a grenade in a window, taking out some of the German artillery. She glanced around and noticed Shifty pinned against the wall, soldiers dropping like flies all around him. She felt her heart tug for him, his life was at risk from his current position.

"Guarnere! Clear that sector on the right!" She heard Lipton yell, making his way over to a set of stairs that would help give him a better view of Carentan. She watched as he made his way down the road, tripping slightly as he tried to duck after the sounds of bullets and mortar fire roared overhead. "You okay, Shifty?" He called.

Shifty gave him a nervous thumbs up, his hand trembling as he held it up. A bullet whizzed past Marie's head, missing her only by a few feet. She jumped, and moved out, knowing that if she stayed at that position any longer she'd most likely be shot. She ended up running and joining Shifty; not the safest place to be, but she didn't want to be out there by herself.

"How you holdin' up, Hun?" Shifty asked her, raising his voice over the gunfire.

"So far so good! I can't find my platoon anywhere, though! The Germans split us right down the middle!" Marie replied, her voice straining over the thundering sound of exploding mortar rounds.

"Medic!" Someone screamed in the distance. Marie squinted, trying to see who was screaming. She started forward, but she felt Shifty grab her elbow with his free hand.

"You can't run out there!" He exclaimed, giving her a bewildered look.

"Let me do my job!" Marie riposted, yanking her elbow out of his grip. She was at her wits end with men from her company holding her back from fulfilling her duty. She felt bad being short with someone as kind and somewhat shy as Shifty, but her patience had worn too thin. She dashed out from cover, trying to pinpoint where the screams were coming from.

"MARIE, LOOK OUT!" She heard Shifty shrilly scream from behind her. She turned her head toward him, but before she could see him, an explosion hit nearby.

She was sent flying backwards, her feet knocked out from under her; her vision blurred and her hearing deafened. Everything happened too fast for her to comprehend. Dust and debris kicked up over her as she felt herself land and skid to a stop. Bright lights flooded her vision. Her ears could only hear high-pitched ringing that drowned out everything else. She rasped for breath, as her lungs burned and her abdomen and back screamed in protest as she drew in breath. Her muscles convulsed as she tried to move.

_Oh my God, I'm hit, I'm hit! Am I dead? _She screamed over and over again in her head.

Her vision adjusted again, she could see the clear blue-sky overhead along with the tops of some buildings that surrounded her. The ringing slowly began to cease, she could hear muffled screams and mortar fire around her. She sat up, feeling her heavy head spin with agitation. She started to cough, noticing that she was covered with dust and dirt. Her head throbbed as she touched it gingerly, noticing a trickle of blood running from her forehead. Her helmet had been knocked off during the whole barrage.

Shifty was kneeling in front of her, looking dreadfully concerned, his mouth was moving but Marie couldn't fully make out the words. She felt her senses slowly come back, along with the fear of being out in the open. She started to struggle toward her helmet. Shifty clutched her hand and shook it, trying to get her attention. She looked into his young face, blankly.

_I need to check if I have a concussion. _She thought mildly to herself.

"Marie! Marie! Please say something! Are you all right? Marie!" Shifty pleaded over and over again. Marie's muffled hearing subsided. She shook her head as she felt herself regaining her clarity.

"Y-Yes… I'm okay! I'm okay!" She responded at last, shakily standing up with Shifty's help. "I need to find the person who was screaming medic."

"You're in no condition for that! I need to get you out of here!" He said, still holding onto her. She reached down and retrieved her helmet and placed it back on her head, ignoring his warnings. "Marie!"

"I'm not wounded! You need to take cover, and I have to do my job!" She replied, starting to turn on her heel but he stopped her.

"You were just almost hit by a mortar round! And besides, Bull already took care of the wounded man!" Shifty explained. Another round hit close to them, making them both lose their balance and fall to the ground. "We can't stay here!" He grabbed her and dragged her back to cover.

"What happened?" Marie demanded.

"Some poor soul got his leg blown off." Shifty answered.

"They got us zeroed! Spread out!" Marie heard Lipton bellow out to everyone. She saw him on top of the staircase, waving his arms in the air. She felt her stomach drop. This was bad, very bad. She wondered how long she'd been out of it, she hadn't even noticed that Lip had been yelling the entire time.

Lipton started to run down the stairs, waving everyone off, screaming loud enough for all of Carentan to hear him. Marie and Shifty started to make their way out of the area, listening to his orders. She turned her head to see Lipton standing out in the open, still calling to everyone to get off the street.

"Get the hell out of there! Get the hell off the street!"

Marie saw a group of Germans loading up an 88mm. They were aiming it right at Lipton. She felt her heart freeze. She stopped following Shifty, and ran into Lipton's view.

"INCOMING!" She shouted at Lip, pointing at the 88, but it was too late. The round was fired only a few feet away from him. He was sent sailing backwards as if someone had hooked him with a fishing rod and was reeling him in. She watched as he flew against a building wall and slumped to the ground.

"Carwood!" She cried, dashing over to him as fast as her legs could carry her. She came sliding to a stop beside him. She saw that he was staring at her, panting heavily, his eyes wide and alert. That was a good sign.

"Lip!" She heard someone else yell. She turned to see Talbert making his way over to them. She turned her attention back to Lip, whom looked like he was in shock. She saw that a piece of shrapnel had left a large gash across his cheek.

She saw him look down at his lap, she followed his gaze and saw that he had a puddle of blood pooling in between his legs. Marie felt her face reddening, she glanced over at Tab whom looked back at her tentatively, biting his lip. She couldn't spare Lip his modesty with this one. She started to tear open his pants, but she felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. She had to look away, her face hot. She never felt like this toward other male patients, but because she knew Lip so well it felt too awkward to stare where the sun don't shine. Tal peered inside, and nodded at her for the all clear.

"You're going to be okay, Lip. Everything is right where it should be." Talbert assured him. Lipton nodded, relived, but still too shocked to speak. Marie mouthed "thank you" to Tal whom nodded at her in response.

She took out a cloth from her pack and wiped off Lip's face, his gash was deeper than she thought. She knew that it would scar. She cleaned up the cut the best she could with the supplies that she had then bandaged it quickly.

"You're doing just fine, Lip." She cooed softly as she patched him up and checked his body for other injuries. She gave a thumbs up to Tab.

"I'll take him back to battalion." Talbert told her, helping Lipton up.

Marie nodded. "Take good care of him, Tal!" She called after him.

Marie ran back deeper into the town, spotting Emilia and Tipper about to enter what looked like a shop. She was relived to see Emilia unharmed, and knew that her friend would give her hell once she found out that she, herself, had almost gotten hit by a round.

"Em!" Marie called. Emilia whirled her head around.

"Marie!" Emilia aspirated, jogging up to her friend.

"Any wounded here?" Marie asked, scanning the area.

"No, but what the hell happened to your head?" Emilia exclaimed.

Marie touched the side of her forehead, still feeling the wet warmness of blood. It didn't feel painful, but it must've looked worse than she thought. She was about to explain when the building that Tipper went into exploded, sending both Emilia and Marie to the ground.

"Jesus!" Emilia cried, getting right to her feet to stare at the now ruined shop. Marie sat up slowly. She noticed movement from within the shop, and saw Tipper come out, running on pure adrenaline.

The sight of him made Marie's stomach drop, but she fought not to make a face and scare him. His face was covered in blood, and half of his left side now looked slightly disfigured. It was a miracle that he was standing, his legs looked torn up and so did his feet. Marie glanced over at Emilia, whom gaped at him in horror. Tipper had been a good friend of hers since Toccoa, seeing him like this wasn't easy.

Joe Liebgott was standing by, he was the first to approach Tipper. Marie watched as Lieb expertly put on a relaxed face, soothing Tipper. Marie marveled at him, thinking that he should've been the medic, not her. She shook herself back to reality and crouched beside the both of them. Lieb cradled Tipper in his hands, softly telling him that he 'looked good', 'was doing fine.'

Lieb and Marie both locked glances. He knew that Tipper's condition didn't look good. Marie started going through her pack, forcing herself to smile for Tipper's benefit.

"Hang in there, Tip. I've got some morphine for you. It'll take all the pain right away." She took out a syrette and gave it to him. His wounds were beyond her limited supplies. He'd have to be taken back to battalion, and would most likely be shipped home.

Lieb watched her, his eyes neutral and tired. Carentan was taking its toll, and Marie had been almost unconscious during most of it. She took out some gauze and started wrapping up Tipper's bleeding wounds, applying pressure to stop the bleeding before he was taken away.

Marie watched as Tipper was escorted off, Liebgott following. She walked over to Emilia, whose eyes were following her wounded friend. They stood side by side, not looking at each other.

"I was going to follow him in there. I told him it was too risky to check." Emilia said in a hollow voice. Her lip trembled as she spoke to Marie.

"It's not your fault, Em." Marie replied, softly. She placed a hand on Emilia's shoulder, whom jumped at her touch. Marie motioned for the both of them to keep moving, it wasn't safe to stand out in the open.

Marie ran around a corner, and saw Easy's chaplain, Maloney, saying prayers to a group of wounded men on the ground. Gunfire surrounded him, but he looked so casual in the middle of the chaos. Marie was about to make her way over to them, when she heard some familiar voices call her name.

"Hun!" Muck signaled her over. Malarkey was standing by him, staring over at Maloney in wonder. Marie ran over to join them, bringing Emilia with her.

"How you ladies holding up?" Muck asked, smiling nervously at them. His smile faded when he saw the look on Emilia's face. "What happened?"

"Tipper was hit. It's bad." Emilia replied, her voice low.

Malarkey stared over at Marie, she gave him a weak smile. His eyes fixed on her forehead, the part that the helmet didn't cover up. He reached up and ran his thumb gently down her temple. She cringed at the slight pain that shot across her head from his gentle touch. He studied her BDU, it was covered with debris and dust from head to toe.

"What happened to you?" Malarkey asked, almost demanding.

Marie didn't want to tell him, she knew he'd chew her out for what she'd done: running out in the open and letting her guard down. She tried to brush off his question, pretending not to know what he was talking about, but he could always see right through her.

"Nothing happened." She lied.

"We need to keep going. It looks like we're finally pushing these bastards back a little bit." Muck said, peering out of cover. "I need to find 1st platoon anyways."

"Marie-" Malarkey started. He gripped both her forearms, not letting her leave. She struggled, knowing that they needed to move out. She hated it when Malarkey did things like this at the worst times.

"Let's not do this now. We have to go." Marie said through gritted teeth.

"Go on ahead, we'll catch up, Skip." Malarkey told his friend. Muck nodded, and brought Emilia along with him. She wished that they would've stayed behind, but she knew that Emilia was too dazed after what happened to Tipper to do anything to help her anyway.

Marie avoided his gaze, not wanting a lecture. It was just a little scrape, not a big deal at all. Malarkey was just being over-protective. He released one of her arms and tilted her helmet up.

"Damn, Marie…" He whispered, studying her forehead. Marie felt her heart speed up, she hadn't seen her head yet, she was afraid that it was worse off than she thought. "You need to patch this up right now."

"How does it look?" Marie asked him in a scared voice.

Malarkey didn't answer, he released her helmet then gripped her arms again. His worried eyes made Marie feel guilty. If the same had happened to him, she'd have felt the same way.

"A mortar almost got me. I was thrown a few feet, but I'm fine. The same thing happened to Lip." Marie explained quickly, trying to make it out not to be a big deal.

Malarkey didn't respond, he worked his jaw in thought, his eyes laced with concern. She stared back at him, hoping she looked confident enough for him to drop the issue.

"I'm taking you back to battalion to get that checked." He finally said, pulling her along.

* * *

Back inside the battalion med station, Marie was checked by Doc Roe. To her relief she didn't have a concussion, just a bad cut on her forehead. She was able to go around and help patch up wounded soldiers. She went around and made sure some of their legs were elevated, made them proper tourniquets, and disinfected wounds. She was happy to finally be of use, she felt since the war started she hadn't done much for the effort.

She noticed Albert Blithe sitting on the floor, his back leaning up against the wall. She gazed at him quizzically as he stared into nothing. She thought to herself that maybe Emilia was right about him. She saw Roe nearby and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What's wrong with Blithe?" She whispered.

"I dunno, he came in here claiming that he couldn't see anything." Roe shrugged.

"Out of nowhere?" Marie was skeptical of Roe's words.

"Just like that." Roe said, snapping his fingers.

Marie thought it over for a minute. She remembered hearing about something like that called hysterical blindness. Roe didn't look like he believed Blithe at all, but hysterical blindness could be a possibility.

"Maybe it's hysterical blindness. Enough psychological and emotional trauma could've triggered it. It was pretty hectic out there." Marie suggested.

Roe nodded, agreeing with her. "I thought that too." Before they could go on, Winters came gimping in.

"Are you okay Lieutenant?" Marie asked, coming over to his side to help him stand. She feared that their CO had been shot in the leg or worse.

"Yeah, I took a ricochet near my ankle." He said, gritting his teeth as he walked. Roe helped him sit down so he could examine his leg. Marie saw the pieces of shelling sticking out of his skin. It looked deep, but not bad enough to where he'd have to be shipped back to England.

"What happened to your head?" Winters asked Marie. She automatically brought her hand to her forehead. Roe had cleaned it up and slapped a big band aid on it. She felt self conscious of how noticeable it was.

"Uh, nothing, sir. A mortar round just knocked me for a loop." She answered.

"That's not nothing." Winters retorted. He grimaced as Roe started to carefully remove the shelling from his leg. "You need to be more careful out there, Marie."

"Yes, sir." She felt herself become irritated again. The same thing happened to Lip, and she's sure to other soldiers out there fighting. They were welcomed with sympathetic words, while Marie was just scolded and babied for being careless. "I'm going to check on Blithe." She said, dismissing herself.

She kneeled in front of Blithe. His eyes didn't seem to catch her presence at all. She went through her medical pack and found a small flashlight.

"How are you doing, Albert? I'm Marie Docherty, I'm gonna take a look at you, okay?" She told him in a soft voice. It was the voice she used all the time when she was an RN.

Some tears rolled down Blithe's face. "Okay…" He muttered.

She shined the flashlight at his pupils, waiting for them to dilate. His pupils reflexed to the light, but Marie was already expecting that since his retina and optic nerve wasn't damaged. She brought up her pointer finger, and moved it back and forth in front of his eyes, but he didn't react to it this time. His eyes didn't follow her finger, he just kept staring straight ahead, into nothing.

"Am I going to be okay?" He whispered.

Marie didn't know what to say. There was no cure or treatment for hysterical blindness. It was usually temporary and all that could be done was to wait it out.

"I'm sure you'll be just fine, Private. All you need to do is relax." Marie cooed, gently running her hand through his bangs. He flinched when she first touched him, but seemed to calm down after a few moments.

Buck entered then, and went over to see Winters. Marie and Buck both nodded at each other in greeting, before she turned her attention back to her blind patient.

"Battalion wants us to hit east and head up to high ground the set up a defensive position." Winters told Buck. Marie listened in, turning her head to see Roe doing the same thing. They'd been in Carentan for days, all she wanted to do was leave.

She stopped listening to their conversation and focused on Blithe. He was still blind, no matter how much she tried to relax him he didn't seem to snap out of it. She overheard Winters say to Roe 'magic treats him?' She knew he was talking about Blithe.

Winters sat up, Roe finished treating his wound. Winters limped over to Marie, and patted her on the shoulder. She looked up at her CO's kind face.

"May I have a minute with him?" He asked her in a hushed voice. She nodded, standing up and letting Winters kneel beside him.

"You can take a break, Hun." Roe spoke up from behind her.

"If anyone needs a break it's you." She told him. He'd been working for hours nonstop, Marie had only been here for about two hours.

"I'm right behind you." He assured her. "Spina is taking over in a minute, along with another medic from Fox Company. She nodded, and decided it would be a good idea to get some fresh air and check up on Emilia.

She left the med station and went to find her friend.


	14. Battle of Carentan Pt 2

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you so much FallynAshe for the review! It really inspired me to keep working on the story! It makes me so happy that you love Marie! Really makes my day! I'm so glad that you're looking forward to the next chapter! :) **

**And thank you sakura2113 for the story favorite! **

**Thank you Straight Edge Queen for another awesome review! I'm glad that you appreciate how slow and steady I'm taking with Marie's development as a person/adjustment to the war, and with her and Malarkey's relationship. I'm trying to keep things as realistic I can :)**

* * *

Despite all their efforts, the siege of Carentan still wasn't finished. Marie had found Emilia and was able to coax some of the depression out of her. She'd never seen Emilia so down before, but seeing a good friend get hit bad would never come easy, even with all the training they'd endured. Marie imagined if Em, Muck or Malarkey got hit like that. The very thought made Marie shudder and want to vomit. If any of them died, she'd never be able to get over it, and that scared her. This was war after all, any of their lives could be taken at any moment.

The sun was high as the long day dragged on. Marie and Emilia sat with Muck, Malarkey, More, Penkala and Blithe. Having some R&R after the fight today was much needed and appreciated. They sat outside, the bright sun shining down on them to the point where it almost felt harsh. Marie could already feel a sunburn forming on her pale cheeks. She watched as Muck unwrapped a packet of cheese and went to take a bite, waiting to see what he thought of it before she tasted her's. The men were talking about the possibility of getting to Berlin by Christmas, but Marie didn't think the war would be over that quickly.

Muck gagged on the cheese, sticking his tongue out in disgust. Marie couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. Emilia and Malarkey joined in. It had been a long time since all four of them got to truly laugh together. It felt blissful, like the old days.

"Enjoy it while it lasts." A new voice cut in. Everyone stopped laughing and turned to see Lieutenant Speirs standing before them. Marie stiffend instantly, remembering the day when her and Malarkey and the POWs. "We'll be moving out soon." The Lieutenant informed them.

"Moving out of town, Lieutenant, already?" Malarkey questioned.

"That's right." Speirs replied, walking past the group. Marie stared up at his tall figure, entranced but also slightly afraid by his presence. She saw Emilia doing the same.

"Don't they know we're just gettin' settled here?" More interjected, annoyed by Speirs' news. Speirs stopped walking and turned around to face More. His steely gaze at More made a chill run down Marie's spine. He glared for a moment longer then continued to stalk off to wherever he was headed.

"Nice, Groucho." Muck said to More flatly.

"What?" More asked defensively.

"Real smart. You know you're taking your life in your own hands. Ain't that right?" Muck told him, looking over at Malarkey for confirmation. Marie nodded at Muck, letting him know she agreed with his statement.

"What are you talking about?" Emilia asked, confused.

"I told you, we didn't actually see it." Malarkey answered, giving Marie an uneasy stare. She gulped, the memory flooding back to her. They explained to the confused Emilia about how Speirs gunned down all those POWs after he'd given them each a cigarette. There were disputes to whether he really did it, or if one of his men did it. The rumors sounded hard to believe, Muck being one of the ones whom didn't think he did it, but Malarkey thought he did.

Whether he did or not, they would never find out.

"Well whatever he did, he's handsome as sin." Emilia commented, ending their arguing.

Marie couldn't help but crack a smile at her words. It was true, Speirs _was _attractive to the point where it seemed dangerous. He had a nice rugged quality to him, but Marie was still a little afraid of him. Ronald Speirs wasn't her type, anyway.

"You're smitten with Speirs?" Penkala asked her incredulously.

Emilia rolled her eyes. "No, of course not. He's just easy on the eyes is all."

Marie gave Emilia a devilish smile. She knew who Em was really sweet on, she could tell whenever Tab was around she _looked _at him differently, and he did the same. After years of Emilia taunting Marie about Malarkey, it was finally her turn.

"Yeah, Speirs isn't your type. We all know who you're into." Marie added, smiling impishly.

Emilia shot her a look. The boys stared back and forth between them, as Emilia glared at Marie, and Marie held onto her mischievous smile. Marie was ready to open her mouth and reveal Emilia's little secret, but Em raised up her hands to quiet her down.

"Oh God, we aren't going to sit here and talk about school girl crushes, are we?" Muck said, over exaggerating a groan.

"You're not a little bit curious?" Marie asked him.

"Well, if it's one of the guys, maybe." Muck admitted, giving Emilia a teasing smile. She sighed, shaking her head at them.

"Who is it?" Penkala asked Emilia.

"Whoever he is, he's one lucky bastard." More muttered, giving Em an amused smile.

Before anyone could say another word, Welsh's voice filled the air, commanding 1st platoon to move out. Marie watched everyone get up, waving goodbye to Muck and Emilia. Blithe didn't move though. He hesitated, his movements slow to react.

Finally he followed the rest. Marie shook her head as she watched him, Malarkey standing beside her, his gaze following her's. He nudged her gently in the forearm, cocking his head in a different direction.

"We need to go." He told her.

She nodded and followed him to 2nd platoon's position.

The gunfire on the outskirts of Carentan forced them to take cover in the hedgerows. It was now nighttime and Easy was still stuck waiting outside in the dark. Marie's stomach growled loudly as she sat in her foxhole, listening to the distant, occasional shots from German gunfire and to a few of the men singing cheerily. The sky lit up with lightning every once in awhile, followed by booming thunder that made Marie jump, thinking it was a bomb. She had no idea what the guys had to be so cheery about.

She got up from her foxhole, feeling that she needed to stretch her legs. She massaged her kneecaps, trying to spark life back into them. The Germans were waiting toward the south, regrouping and prepping for battle to fight for the town back. At dawn they would strike. Marie hoped that this would be the last time they'd have to fight in Carentan.

She starting trudging through the grass, thick with dew and damp from some light rain they had earlier. The mosquitos were out in full force tonight, much to everyone's irritation. She smacked at her neck as they bit her countless times; there was no way she could stay still the way they were swarming in the fields. She stumbled around, blindly, focusing most of her attention on escaping the little buzzing vampires.

Marie lost her footing for a moment, almost stumbling fully into a foxhole. She found her balance, perched on the side, almost sliding in. She startled both of the soldiers inside, she could see them, dimly, ready to draw up their rifles.

"Marie? Jesus Christ, don't do that." She heard Martin's voice grumble from below. He drowsily wiped his eyes as Marie climbed into the foxhole, trying not to bump into the other soldier. She noticed that Blithe was with him, and he was crying again.

"Sorry, Johnny." She whispered apologetically.

"Whatcha doing wandering around here? You're pretty far from your platoon." Martin asked her, shifting in his spot to get more comfortable.

"The singing was getting on my nerves a bit. I'm not feeling happy enough to join. Not to mention these mosquitos are just awful tonight." Marie told him.

He nodded sleepily. "You should get some rest, we have a big day tomorrow. At the crack of dawn you know they'll be stirring us awake."

"I don't think I can sleep knowing the Germans are so close." Marie admitted meekly.

"It'll be fine. Blithe's keepin' watch." Martin assured her. Marie looked over her shoulder at the teary eyed shoulder, staring off into the darkness. Marie didn't feel very confident with Blithe keeping watch, she didn't know how Martin could fall asleep so easily.

"Medic!" Someone cried in the distance. Marie was immediately on her feet. She looked back at Martin, whom shrugged but looked alarmed. She jumped out of the foxhole and went off to find who was screaming.

"Where are you?" She called, squinting her eyes in the darkness. She saw a few figures gathered around a tree, and someone slumped over to the ground. She jogged over, clearing out the crowd so she could get a better look. It was Tab.

"What happened?" She demanded, turning her head to look at the men standing idly by. One was rambling on hysterically, saying that he 'thought he was a kraut' over and over again. She noticed Lieb amongst the crowd, he kneeled beside her.

"Kid thought he was a kraut." Lieb whispered to her. "He got stabbed by his bayonet a few times.

Marie didn't like the sound of the situation. Talbert was gored by his own man, and in the chest too. She tore open his clothing, straining to get a better look at his wounds. There were two wounds, one high and one low. She went through her pack as quickly as she could, taking out bandages, gauze and sulfa powder. She cursed herself for not having a flashlight in her pack, trying to patch up the wounded in the dark was very difficult.

"How long has he been laying like this?" She asked Lieb.

"Uh, I don't know. Just fix him." Lieb clipped, on edge because of his nerves.

"Dammit, Lieb. It's important that I know! Puncture wounds have to be bled out for a few minutes before they can be treated so the wound can clean itself out." She replied evenly, trying to keep the situation calm for Tab's sake. He sat there, leaning against the tree, whimpering in pain.

"Yeah, I'd say it's about five minutes." Lieb answered.

Marie then proceeded to clean out his wounds. Preventing infection was her first priority when it came to injuries like this, applying pressure and stopping the bleeding came later. After she cleaned them out, she wrapped him up with gauze and bandages, making sure they were tight enough to halt the bleeding.

"You're doing just fine, Tab. The wounds aren't that deep, so you should be just fine." Marie assured him in a soft voice. Honestly, she wasn't sure if he was going to make it, medics could never be too careful. But she didn't let the uncertainty show in her face or her voice.

"Em's going to be upset." He rasped.

Marie pursed her lips, knowing that he was right. Emilia had just witnessed Tip getting seriously wounded, and now Tab was going to be taken off the line for stab wounds.

"I'll take care of her." Marie told him. "You just worry about getting better." She heard quick footsteps approaching then, she looked to see Roe coming up at them, holding onto his helmet as he ran.

"Whatta we got?" He asked, instantly at Tab's side, and studying Marie's treatment techniques carefully.

Marie explained everything to him, before she knew it they were loading Tab up on a jeep to be taken back to battalion, where he'd be shipped back to England. She felt a weight in her stomach, knowing that she'd have to confront Emilia with the news.

Morning signaled that another battle was going to commence. It was now D-Day plus seven, Marie couldn't believe that a week had passed since they'd all dropped into Normandy. The days seemed endless and would bunch together the longer they were all stationed in Carentan. Marie was starting to lose her track of time, which frightened her. Things like that made soldiers forget that there was more to life than war.

Everyone laid on the outskirts of Carentan, getting their ammo ready for another attack. Marie had managed three hours of sleep, but it was a restless and unsatisfying sleep. She kept thinking of Emilia's reaction when she told her the news about Tab.

Marie planned to tell Em right when she woke up, not wanting to put it off any longer. She saw Em gathered around with Welsh, going over the map, routes, and possible strategies with him. Donald Hoobler sat on stump beside them, humming to himself as he reloaded his sidearm. Marie waited awkwardly behind the hedgerow, stalling for as long as she could.

"No, we don't know what they've got. We may be attacking a weaker force, possibly more paratroopers." Welsh explained to them, studying the map that Emilia was holding out for him. He noticed Marie standing by, and acknowledged her with a welcoming smile.

"You know how they can be." Hoobler added, receiving a few smirks and laughs from the nearby soldiers.

"What brings you to 1st platoon?" Welsh asked the nervous medic.

Marie smiled thinly, her eyes falling on Emilia. "I just need to speak to her, sir."

"Make it quick, I've got to finish briefing these guys." Welsh told her.

"What's up, Hun?" Emilia questioned her, cocking her head.

"Well…" Marie paused, biting the inside of her cheek. She hated doing this right now, Emilia had been so distant since she witnessed Tipper's _almost _demise. Now she had to tell her the man she possibly had feelings for had been shanked by one of his own guys. "Talbert was wounded by a bayonet last night. One of the jumpy privates mistook his for a kraut. He's patched up and has been sent to the hospital." Marie continued on, quickly spilling out her sentence.

Emilia didn't respond, she gazed at Marie with heavy eyes, then looked back down at her map. "I see." Emilia replied in a low voice.

"Jesus! He gonna be okay?" Hoobler asked Marie.

"Yes." Marie lied. Truth was she had no idea what Tab's condition would be.

Welsh gave her a sad look, but continued on with the briefing. "Fire and maneuver, that's the name of the game. Fire and maneuver. Dog and Fox company will be on our left flank, moving with us. Any questions?"

Before anyone could speak up, the sudden bursts of 88s erupted. Everyone immediately took cover. A man standing by Luz's foxhole got hit right in the neck. He collapsed, while Luz pulled him into the safety of the foxhole with his free hand. His other hand was latched onto his radio receiver.

"Here we go again!" Hoobler exclaimed over the gunfire.

Marie ran over and leapt into Luz's foxhole, almost landing on his lap. She took out some gauze and bandages, quickly doing everything she could for the wounded soldier. She crawled out of the foxhole, and ran over to 2nd platoon. Easy Company was giving everything they had against the Germans, but this time it didn't seem enough. It felt like the Germans were the ones pushing _them_ back this time.

Marie saw Guarnere in the distance, covering fire on a small hill. She made her way over to him, skidding on the ground to a stop, trying to avoid being hit with any bullets.

"Everything okay down here?" She asked her squad leader, panting. She hadn't had time to catch her breath and the barrage just started.

"No wounded that I've seen, yet!" Guarnere yelled back to her. An explosion rocked them both, followed by splintered trees crumbling around them, shooting bark in every direction. Marie planted her heels in the dirt, forcing herself not to slide down the hill. A deep rumbling shook the ground, as if a giant was stomping across the lands.

"What the hell is that?" She shouted over to Guarnere.

"Panzer's!" Guarnere bellowed. Large German tanks suddenly appeared out of nowhere and were rolling ominously across the fields. The sight of them made Marie's heart skip a beat, they were not ready for this.

The tanks started to fire, destroying everything in sight. Trees were knocked over from the stumps, timbering down and almost hitting panicked soldiers. It was a nightmare. Marie let herself roll down the hill, out of sight from the incoming tanks. People in their foxholes were getting blown to bits; even the cover of the foxholes couldn't protect them against the horrible destructive force of the Panzers.

_Shit! _Marie thought fearfully.

"Malark, get over here!" She heard Buck's voice call among the chaos. She crawled forward on her hands and knees, keeping her eyes peeled for Malarkey. She saw Malarkey making his way across a pasture. He was about a hundred yards away, too far for Marie to follow him. Mortar fire rained down around him, making Marie's head swim with fear.

She closed her eyes, feeling the pressure set in. Everywhere she looked trees were exploding. Marie covered her ears and started to scream, releasing all the built up stress inside her. She knew she was a sitting duck in her current position, but part of her didn't want to move. A tank had struck a tree a few yards from her, its stump had almost been sliced down the middle. It started to fall, unable to support its weight. The sound of the explosion had knocked Marie back to her senses, she noticed the tree about to crash down upon her and was able to evade it last second.

In the distance Dog and Fox Company was retreating, leaving Easy's right and left flanks wide open. Easy was the only company holding the line now. This had been the first time Marie had thought that they were all _actually _going to die. She stood up and decided to run to see Malarkey anyway. This could be her last chance to ever see him. She booked it across the pasture, tanks and mortar fire raining down all around the fields. She saw the building where Malarkey had run into. It grew closer and closer with every step as Marie pushed herself toward the doors.

She stumbled inside, almost landing on her face as she thrust open the doors. Roe and Malarkey jumped, startled by her abrupt entrance. She stood immobile at the building entrance, trying to catch her breath while her lungs struggled for air.

"Good timing, Hun. I need your help." Roe said in a hurried voice. Marie saw that the building was full with wounded soldiers, all waiting in line to be treated. Roe was currently wrapping up a soldier's bare chest. Roe's sleeves and hands were soaked in blood; she watched as he methodically patched up the wounded soldier.

Malarkey held his right hand, waiting in line like the rest of the men. She realized he had been wounded. Alarmed, Marie jogged over to him, checking him over.

"I took a shrapnel to the hand." Malarkey told her, holding up his bloody hand.

"That's a Purple Heart wound, Malark." Roe calmly said to him. Malarkey gazed over at him, stunned by the scene of so many badly bloodied and wounded men in one setting. Outside the tanks still roared with vengeance, a grim reminder of what was waiting outside those doors.

"I don't want any Purple Hearts. But how about a bandage?" Malarkey replied.

"I've got one, Don." Marie answered, rummaging through her pack. She pulled out one and started to wrap up his hand. Marie bit her lip in concentration as she patched him up, making sure his right hand would still be of use to him.

"Thanks, Hun." He said hastily. He went over and grabbed all the ammo his hands could carry.

"You're going back out there?" Marie asked him, knowing it was a dumb question.

"Of course! Stay here and help the Doc!" Malarkey told her, running out the door and back into the fray.

She said a silent prayer to herself for Malarkey, Emilia and Muck.

* * *

It was mid-afternoon now, and the hope of conquering Carentan was diminishing. There were so many wounded and close casualties stacking up that Marie and Roe could barely keep up with the demand. She was running drastically low on morphine and sulfa, leaving only some bandages and gauze left in her pack. She needed to stock up on her supplies, but it was impossible at this moment. Marie felt that they were going to be overrun at any moment. She pictured the tanks crashing through the building and crushing them all.

But there was a sound outside that Marie hadn't heard since Carentan had begun. The men outside were cheering. She looked puzzled over at Roe, whom returned her glance. She decided to go outside and see what the sudden lifted mood was about.

Outside she saw more tanks, but they didn't look like Panzers. She ran over to the hedgerow, keeping her head low. She spotted Muck and Malarkey taking cover in the hedgerow, cheering along with the rest of Easy Company.

Marie crouched beside them, staring at the newly arrived tanks as they rolled across the field.

"Check it out, Shermans!" Muck said gleefully to her, elbowing Marie to get her attention.

It was the 2nd Armored Division and they brought about sixty tanks as reinforcements. Marie's mouth gaped at the sight of the tanks pushing back the Germans. She couldn't help but smile in relief at the sight.

"About damn time!" Malarkey exclaimed.

Marie saw as Easy Company started to shoot unmercially at the retreating Germans. The sight made Marie actually feel satisfied. She partly wished that she had a weapon and that she could join them. She felt angry at the enemy for causing them all so much grief since it all started.

Before she knew it the blitz was over. Easy emerged from their cover and went to check the fields, riddled with debris and death from the long, hard fight. Marie saw Winters had found a wounded an dying German soldier, laying on the ground. He had orderd Malarkey to put the poor soul out of his misery. Malarkey followed orders, putting one right in the German's head.

Marie closed her eyes and looked away. The German's young face was pleading with Malarkey to pull the trigger and get it all over with. Marie felt guilty for wanting to join in on the killing earlier when the Germans were retreating. She stared into the German's blue eyes, bloodshot and tearing from fear and fatigue.

Winters saw her distressed posture and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She turned to face his sad, smiling face. She couldn't bring herself to return the smile.

"Good work out there today." He complimented.

Marie laughed humorlessly. "I wasn't much help out here in the field, sir."

"Of course you were! You patched up dozens of soldiers with Roe today. You'll get the hang of things, Marie. It was one of the hardest fights we've had on Carentan yet."

Marie instinctively raised her hand and touched her gash on her forehead, remembering the previous battle. Winters glanced at her forehead then back at her, giving her another melancholy smile.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." He told her softly. He trudged off, leaving her, Malarkey, and the dead German soldier. Malarkey walked up to her, studying her face for a moment.

"We're still not done with Carentan yet, are we?" Marie asked her friend, not really wanting to hear the answer.

Malarkey smiled wearily. "No… I think we have a few more things to check on. We're Easy Company, Hun. We're never 'done'."


	15. Temporary Relief

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you once again, Straight Edge Queen. Love your reviews! :)**

**I used Google Translate for the French, so sorry if it isn't accurate! **

* * *

_Cherbourg, France_

_June 29,1944_

The past two weeks had been filled with finishing up business in Carentan, and with patrols. Two weeks of practically being the only company holding the line and the main resistance. The two weeks had drained all of them. After the straining couple of weeks, they really were a sorry sight. They hadn't had showers since the jump, hadn't had much sleep, and hadn't had a decent meal in weeks. Marie thought the casualties were over, but on a patrol Blithe had gotten shot and was sent back to England with little chance of full recovery. He had finally started to show promise and then he had to get taken off he line. Marie felt guilty for the negative thoughts she had of him.

Being moved to Cherbourg had been a Godsend. Easy Company had gotten the orders to rest and would soon be moved back to Aldbourne to be relieved. Marie couldn't wait to take off her grimy, sweaty BDU's and take a shower. She hated feeling this dirty, just thinking about how long she hadn't bathed made her skin crawl. She couldn't wait to sleep in an actual bed again; she'd almost forgotten what it felt like.

In Cherbourg they were able to get their uniforms clean and take quick showers. The citizens of Cherbourg let the soldiers reside in their apartments for the time being. Because they were on a strict water and time limit, the shower wasn't as satisfying as it could've been, but Marie didn't complain. At least she'd gotten to wash up. She scrubbed herself as clean as she could and towel dried her hair before pulling it up in a damp ponytail. She put on a new uniform then left to let the next person take a shower.

It was a nice day out; the men's spirits were high with the news that they'd be relieved soon. Marie glanced around the busy street, unable to find Emilia anywhere. She'd been so distant lately, which worried Marie a great deal. She hadn't had the opportunity to really sit down and talk to Emilia since she told her the news about Talbert two weeks ago. Marie spotted Buck, Guarnere and Welsh sitting by some trucks. It looked like they were getting ready to depart shortly, Marie noted this, knowing that she had to find Em quickly before she ran out of time. She jogged over to join them.

"Hey, Hun. What can I do for ya?" Buck greeted, loading a crate onto one of the trucks.

"I was wondering if you've seen Emilia anywhere?" She asked.

"Uh, I saw her talking to the natives about thirty minutes ago or so." Buck told her. "You know, she's the one that helped negotiate on getting to use these places." Buck gestured to the streets, lined up with apartments all down the road.

Marie nodded. "That sounds like her."

"Is everything alright?" Guarnere questioned, seeing the hint of worry on Marie's face.

She fidgeted awkwardly with her hands, deciding whether she should tell them about Emilia's distant behavior. She bit her lip and looked down at her shoes. The men waited a moment before speaking.

"Hun?" Welsh interjected.

"Em has been really… different lately. Ever since Edward Tipper got hit and Floyd Talbert got stabbed… I don't know, she just hasn't been herself. I'm worried about her." Marie admitted.

"She seemed okay when I saw her." Guarnere replied absentmindedly inspecting his rifle. "She might be in one of the apartments if you wanna take a look."

"Thank you." Marie said before turning around and making her way down the street. She glanced back and forth, trying to see if she'd spot anyone with Emilia's features. Not paying attention ahead of her, she ran into a man, causing both of them to stumble backwards.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Marie apologized.

The man looked disgusted, giving her a fierce look that made Marie feel both slightly afraid and offended. He brushed himself off, as if he was trying to rid her very presence from himself.

_"Regardez où vous allez, salope Américaine stupide!" _He spat. Marie wasn't sure what he said, but she had a feeling it was nasty. The man pointed a steady finger at her. "_Vous envahir nos maisons comme de la vermine!"_

"Whatever." Marie sneered, waving her hand at him to dismiss his words. She didn't mean to run into the man, it's not like she did it on purpose. She had learned quickly that most of the French didn't really enjoy having them around.

_"Laissez-la tranquille, mon vieux." _A new voice added. Marie peered behind her to see Webster approaching, his hands in his pockets. _"Elle polietly demandé d'utiliser les maisons. Elle est une bonne personne." _Web added.

The man didn't seem very fond of Web's words. "_Tais-toi! Vous, les Américains sont tous les mêmes!" _He countered, shouting at Web. Marie watched as Web and the French man interacted back and forth, not having the slightest idea what they were saying. Finally the man stormed off, leaving Web with a coy smile on his face.

"Um thanks, I guess." Marie muttered, watching the angry man stalk away.

"It's fine. Some of the citizens in this village aren't very fond of us, but who can blame them? Even if Cherbourg has been liberated." Web answered with a shrug.

"Have you seen Emilia anywhere, Web?"

"I think I saw her in the makeshift CP they had goin'. You know we're moving out soon, right?"

"Yeah. Utah Beach then we head back to Aldbourne." Marie sighed. "It's hard to believe we're actually getting a break."

Web smiled, looking exhausted like the rest of the company. "Here, I'll walk you to CP." He offered.

* * *

Marie ducked her head under the makeshift tent that had been set up for CP. Inside she saw Emilia, talking rapidly in French to three French women. Marie guessed that she was still trying to negotiate for apartment use. Marie waited patiently, Web beside her at the entrance.

Emilia noticed the two of them standing at the corner of her eye. She gave them a flustered look, then focused her attention back to the tentative looking women standing before her. Emilia sighed, running her hand through her thick black hair that had started to curl on the ends.

_"Merci pour votre hospitalité. Vous pouvez partir maintenant." _Emilia stated to the women. Marie didn't know what she said, but the three women started to make their way out of the tent. She guessed she just dismissed them. The women giggled as they passed Web before leaving CP. Marie couldn't help but smirk. This was definitely good fraternizing territory for the men.

"Em, do you have a minute?" Marie spoke.

"I'll see you later, Hun." Web leaned over and whispered to Marie. He gently patted her on the back and left.

"What do you need, Marie?" Emilia asked her in a matter-of-factly voice.

"I just wanted to check up on you, make sure you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Emilia answered, her voice tense. Marie waited in silence for a moment, letting Emilia busy herself with her surroundings. She knew Em was trying to play it off like she was fine, but Marie knew better. "Is that all you wanted to say?"

"You've been my friend for years now, Em. I know when something is bothering you." Marie stated softly. "Carentan has been hard for everyone, but I know it's been difficult for you, especially."

Emilia didn't answer.

"With what happened to Tipper and Talbert, I know you've been struggling. Hell, I would be doing the same thing if it was you, Malarkey, or Muck." Marie continued on. "I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you. I promised Tab before he was shipped off that I'd take care of you."

She saw Emilia contemplating her words, biting the inside of her cheek as she thought. Emilia sighed, staring over at her friend with tired but thankful eyes.

"So, you and Web huh? You told me it was nothing and here he comes walking you all the way here. What would Malarkey say?" Emilia teased.

"There she is." Marie said smiling.

Emilia laughed light-heartedly. "Okay, we'll be moving out soon. Can you help me pack up these maps and books?"

"Sure." Marie responded, making her way deeper into CP. She started taking the maps off of where they hung and packed them up in boxes. "Looks like you guys have been strategizing for hours."

"Just checking over how we're doing, along with the rest of the Army. You know Winters, he's quite the tactician." Emilia sighed, wiping her brow.

"At least we'll all be getting a break." Marie concluded.

"I wonder for how long?"

Marie shrugged. She knew that most likely it wouldn't be too long, but she knew any amount of free time would be greatly appreciated. She wanted things to be like they used to be. She finished up helping Em, then they both proceeded to the trucks outside, waiting for them in the streets of Cherbourg.


	16. Letters

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you for another review, Straight Edge Queen! :) **

**Next few chapters aren't going to be following Malarkey's book or the series as much, these chapters will be more, well, ****_fictional_****. Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this story! I appreciate it so much! ❤**

* * *

_Aldbourne, England_

_July 1944_

Easy had arrived in Aldbourne after being in Normandy for thirty-five days. Despite the freedom, none of them could really shake the war off enough to relax like they'd all used to. The feeling of knowing that they'd be sent back at any moment hung over their heads like a dark cloud. During the transition, Easy had ended up getting a huge hotel to stay in. It was so nice to have beds again, and have access to pubs, shops, and of course, women. Marie knew that a lot of the guys would take advantage of this free time to find some pretty English girls. Marie, on the other hand, decided to spend her free time catching up on some of the letters that she needed to write.

In her hotel room, she sat on her bed, writing each letter slowly. She double-checked each one, rereading it again and again to make sure it was plausible. She enjoyed the peace and quiet, she'd take days like these over the sound of 88s and tanks roaring overhead any day. It had taken her some time to get used to the silence again; in the back of her mind she kept her guard up. The war was tricky like that, it really never did leave a person.

The hotel window was open, letting in the summer breeze. Marie taking in the rare tranquility of it all as she shuffled through her written letters. The elements of the room vaguely reminded her of home, making Marie feel her stomach stir with homesickness. The feeling motivated her even more to check her letters.

_Dear Jane,_

_It has been literally years since I've seen you. I hope this letter finds you well. Emilia and Barbara are fine; I'm sure you've heard about what happened to Diana and about Florence. War is an unimaginable thing, it truly is. No matter the amount of training, no one is really prepared until it is experienced firsthand. _

_My heart aches for Diana and her family. Jumping into Normandy was chaotic, planes were going down left and right. I waited for days for her to come, hoping that she was miss-dropped like many other soldiers, but my worst fears were realized. I know my words are of little comfort, and I apologize that this letter isn't filled with happiness or good news. _

_I would say that I wish you were here, but I honestly don't want you to be put in danger like the rest of us. Although I do wish you could join us for furloughs like the one we're having currently. We really do miss you, Jane! _

_To lift the spirits of this letter, I should tell you that Emilia and Floyd Talbert are sweet on each other. Em would probably get mad at me for writing this. I'm not sure if you remember Tab, he's the one from Kokomo. _

_Well, I should probably keep this letter short. I don't want to worry you too much with details. _

_Keep in touch,_

_Marie_

Marie read over the letter, purposely keeping out the detail about Tab being stabbed. She felt that this letter had enough sadness in it. She sighed, knowing that it was the best that she could do. Marie flipped over to her second letter, and starting scanning through it.

_Dear Florence,_

_I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've seen you last! I'm still eternally grateful for what you did for me all those months ago. I hope you're doing well back home. I haven't heard from you in so long, my big question is: did you have your baby? I know the pregnancy must have been difficult for you, I wish I could've been there with you to help._

_Emilia and Barb are doing very well. I'm sure you've heard about Diana. I'm relieved that you're not in the middle of this war, Florence. It's definitely something that I wouldn't wish any of my friends to be in the midst of. _

_I'm just happy to finally have some downtime so I can write you. I'm sorry that I haven't attempted until now, I just couldn't find the right words. I will be keeping in touch regularly now, I know how important letters can be. I'm sorry that this letter isn't more cheery; I wrote similar things to Jane. It's hard to pull anything uplifting out of war._

_I hope that you are doing well!_

_Marie_

_PS – You were right about Ronald Speirs. He is wickedly handsome. _

Marie shifted her attention to her last written letter. The one that she had written to her family; the one that was the hardest for her to write.

_Dear Dad, Anna, and Dave,_

_My sincerest apologies for not keeping in touch! Since jumping into Normandy a little over a month ago, life has been so hectic. Being a medic is very similar to being an RN, except with limited supplies and time. I haven't written all of you enough, once again I'm so sorry. I have so much to tell you all! I'll try to cram it all into one letter._

_I've made some terrific friends, we've all become a big, irreplaceable family. If you could meet all of Easy Company I know that you all would adore them. I wouldn't want to serve in a different company, they are all my brothers, and I've never seen a group of such brave, and determined soldiers. I'm truly proud to be serving with all of them. There are three that I've grown very close to; I know I mentioned them when I was at home before we were shipped over to Europe._

_Emilia Valdez, Donald Malarkey, and Warren "Skip" Muck. I could spend hours writing about all the great times we've had. They truly make me feel like I'm at home again. They've been my guidance and protectors in this war, I don't know where'd I be without them. All the men serving have been, actually. One man by the name of Joe Toye saved me from a German grenade, I know this isn't a story you'd like to hear but please understand that I'm in good hands. There's also a man in the company named Carwood Lipton that reminds me a lot of you, Dad. I can't place my finger on it, but he really does. _

_On a separate note, thank you Anna for sending me Wuthering Heights! I finally have time to read it again. I hope school is going well for you, and you owe me a cello solo when I return. Send me more books if you can, sis. I'll try to send you something in return. _

_Davey, I miss the old shop! Working on the cars isn't easy, but I do miss it. I'm probably going to forget everything you and Dad have showed me, so you have to reteach me again! _

_I miss your cooking, Dad. The food the Army supplies is nothing compared to yours! I miss our late night talks; I miss coming outside on the porch to find you staring up at the stars late at night. I still find myself, in the middle of this war, staring up at the sky and mapping out constellations. _

_I love you all!_

_Love,_

_Marie_

Marie read over the letters, criteqing what she had written. Emilia came into the room then, carrying a couple bags, closing the door with her foot.

"I took the liberty of picking out a dress for you, I hope you don't mind." Emilia announced, setting down the bags on her bed. She pulled out the dress and presented it to Marie. It was white up above the hip, and black from the waist down. It was a sleeves dress with a low neckline.

"It's beautiful." Marie said with a smile.

"You don't think it's too plain?" Emilia questioned.

"No, it's lovely. Thank you."

Emilia sighed in relief. "Okay, now let me do your hair."

* * *

Emilia curled Marie's hair at the ends, letting it fall down, almost reaching her shoulders. Emilia parted her hair off to the side, placing a black headband on top of her head with a bow plastered on it. Marie couldn't believe her own reflection. It had been such a long time since she'd actually been pampered. Emilia took a step back, observing her work.

_"¡Todo hecho!_" Emilia laughed.

"Thanks, Em. It's been a long time since I've looked… girly." Marie stared at herself in the mirror; her dress on and hair done. She gave her head a little shake, watching as the curls bounced lightly.

"We're not done yet. We still have to do our makeup." Emilia stood beside Marie, holding up two pouches of makeup kits. Marie took hers, hesitantly, staring down at the purse shaped pouch.

"Where did you get all this stuff?"

"The Brits are very generous people." Emilia chuckled, leaning close to the mirror, already applying concealer with her fingertip. Marie looked down at her back, unzipping it. She had no idea where to begin.

"Um…" Marie pulled out some lipstick, staring at the tube.

"You need help?" Emilia asked Marie, now rubbing foundation on her face.

"I really have no idea what I'm doing." Marie admitted, feeling like a fool.

"Aw, girl! Haven't you _ever _put on makeup before?" Emilia asked her, raising a manicured brow.

"Of course I have… but… not expertly. Remember, I didn't have anyone around to show me how to do this stuff." Marie replied, raising up the pouch.

"Alright, watch." Emilia reached into Marie's pouch, holding up each item and placing it on the bathroom counter. "This is concealer. You put this on first to cover up any blemishes and even out your skin tone." Emilia explained. "Dot it around your eyes."

Marie did so, glancing back at Emilia, giving her a helpless smile.

"Okay, now rub it in." Emilia told her. "You're going to do the same with your foundation. You dot in in the places you need it. Then you'll add another coat of it to even it out. After, you'll apply some highlighter just above your cheeks and at the bridge of your nose, deep places on your face. It'll help lighten them up."

"This is a lot." Marie chuckled, trying to follow her friend's steps as quickly and effieciantly as she could. Emilia helped rub in some places she missed.

"We've barely started. After that you're going to need to add some depth with powder, then you can apply the blush." Emilia continued on. She picked up the item that Marie thought looked like a pencil. "Then you can darken your eyebrows. After that, you can move on to your eyes starting with primer."

"I think… you should do this for me. I'm sorry, I'm not as quick as you are." Marie chuckled, glancing at herself in the mirror.

"Don't worry, I'll get you all dolled up. Need you looking your best at the gathering tonight to impress Malark." Emilia said with a smile, standing in front of Marie now to finish up her makeup.

"Knock it off." Marie groaned. "He has a girlfriend, Em. Good Lord, how many times do I have to tell you."

"I'm telling you, it's so obvious between you two, girlfriend or not. Feelings are feelings."

Marie opened her mouth to say something about Emilia and Tab in retaliation, but she remembered that Tab was still in the hospital recovering. She closed her mouth quickly, cursing herself for how close she'd come to really hurting Emilia.

"I'm just saying. After he see's you tonight-"

"Oh, come on. Can we change the subject, please? Let's talk about how weird it is to have all this free time now." Marie cut off.

"Quit moving so much, you're going to make me mess up." Emilia said, flustering over her makeup. "I'm almost done. Then I have to finish mine. Afterward, let's walk around a little. There's some shops in Aldbourne that are pretty nice."

"Sure, I guess. I don't think there's really anything I want to buy, though." Marie responded with a shrug. Hair, makeup, and shopping. Emilia was really taking them out on a girl's day.

"Okay, I'm putting on your eye shadow and eye liner now, so don't move!" Emilia warned. Marie did as she said, sitting as still as she could. Emilia stepped back, smiling at Marie when she finally finished.

"Done?"

Emilia shook her head. "It's time for the lips."

Marie sighed. "This sure does take a lot of patience." Emilia studied Marie's face, bringing her fist up to her mouth in thought. "What?" Marie questioned.

"I'm trying to think which shade of lipstick would be the best for you." Emilia pondered for a moment before turning around to take a tube of lipstick off the counter. "I'm thinking a pale pink would best complement you."

"Sure." Marie said with a shrug. She didn't know the difference, Em was the expert when it came to things like this.

After Emilia finished Marie's makeup, she stepped aside and let her look at herself in the mirror. Marie was stunned; the woman staring back at her was not her at all. She was in awe at the transformation, and also a little overwhelmed and uncomfortable. This didn't feel like her. She knew it was just for one fun night at the pub with the guys.

"What do you think?" Emilia beamed.

"It's… it's overwhelming." Marie muttered.

"Alright, I have to finish up mine now. Then we can go shopping." Emilia mentioned, unaware of how Marie felt.

"Oh!" Marie remembered the letters she finished writing. "I need to send some letters off today. You got any that need to be mailed out?"

"I already gave them to Vest this morning." Emilia answered. "Go send them right now, I'll meet you downstairs."

"Okay." Marie slipped her letters into envelopes then left the room. She made her way down the hotel stairs, heading for the lobby. The temporary mail delievery was set up in the hotel lobby. Allen Vest took care of all the letters and delivers, like he'd done since day one.

She made it to the lobby, walking in and seeing Vest busy at work organizing crates and letters. She walked up to the counter, waiting patiently for Vest to finish up. He noticed someone standing at the counter, he turned to greet her, but stopped. His eyes widened in recognition.

"Hun? That you? Wow! You look great!" Vest complimented.

Marie's face grew hot, shyly averting her eyes from his stare. "Thank you…" She mumbled, gratefully but sheepishly.

"You dressed for the little shindig tonight? It's being held at that big pub down the block, right?"

Marie nodded in response.

"Great." Vest smiled. "Oh, can I help you with anything, Sarge?"

"Yes, can you send these out, please?" Marie asked, handing him the three letters.

" 'Course I can. Oh, you got somethin'." Vest muttered, rummaging through one of his newly made piles. He pulled out envelope by envelope, quickly reading the names printed on it. He pulled out one, then turned and handed it to her. "See you tonight, Hun."

Marie smiled at him, gazing down at her letter. It was from her Dad. She tore open the letter, unfolding it carefully. She stood in the middle of the lobby, holding the letter, staring down at it.

_My dearest Marie,_

_I can't imagine the types of things you are experiencing, and I hate to cause you any more hardships with the news I'm about to bring. Just promise me that no matter what, you'll keep your head up during the hard times. Promise me, Marie. Keep fighting and come home. There isn't any easy way to say this, so I guess I'll stop beating around the bush._

_Your mother is dead. Or killed is a better way to put it. You know how your mother was, a free spirit that didn't know when to quit. Well this time it all caught up with her. Car accident, she was drunk they told me. I don't want to go into much detail because I don't want to upset you anymore than I'm sure you already are. I'm sorry to give you this news, Marie, but I'd rather you find out from me than some other way._

_I know how you felt about your mother, and I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive her. _

_Love,_

_Your Father _

Marie's hands were gripping the sides of the paper so tight that it almost tore as she read the end of the letter. She reread it once more just to make sure that she read it correctly. She could feel her whole body trembling, unable to tear her eyes off of the letter.

_My mom… my mom is dead… _


	17. Solitude

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you Guest for your review! I know the beginning is kind of slow, but I'm glad you stuck with the story! Thank you for reading, and I'm happy that you like Marie! :)**

**Big thank you to QueenOfTheHobbits for the story favorite, follow, and for the review! You're too kind! Thank you for taking the time to read each chapter! **

**Thank you KarupinLvr for the story favorite!**

**And thank you once again Straight Edge Queen for another review :)**

**And thanks Lilliesshadow for the follow!**

**Sorry for not updating at my usual pace. I've been so unbelievably busy lately with work, college, and everything else in between; I've barely had any free time this past week! This chapter uncovers a little more about Marie's psyche, I hope you all enjoy it! **

**TW: Abuse **

* * *

Marie stood there in the lobby, still holding onto the paper as if her life depended on it. Her entire day had just made a complete 180; a moment ago she was getting excited for Easy's get together at the pub, now she was filled with confusion, anger, and sadness upon learning about her mother's death. Marie brought herself to fold up the letter and stuff it inside the cup of her bra so she wouldn't have to hold it any longer. The letter felt tainted with the news that it brought to her life. She knew Emilia would be coming down the steps any minute, instantly knowing that something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" She heard Vest say from behind her. She didn't turn to look at him.

Marie left the hotel, and decided to find someplace secluded so she could process the news and be alone. Since she was a child she hated to be comforted when she was upset or on the verge of tears. Someone hugging her or making any attempt to sooth her just made her more upset. Whenever Marie was feeling stressed or sad she would lock herself away so she could calm down. Now more than ever she needed to get away from everything.

She quickly made her way down the streets of Aldbourne, making sure not to run into any familiar faces. The last thing she needed was for someone to see her. She didn't want anyone to talk to her at this moment, even though she felt a little guilty for leaving Emilia at the hotel. She knew she was being antisocial but Marie didn't want to explain to any of them that her mother was killed, she wouldn't be able to bring herself to say the words without breaking down. And if there was one thing Marie couldn't stand, it was crying in front of people.

Marie's mother was an alcoholic that would inflict emotional, psychological and sometimes physical abuse on her. Her need to drink would transform her into a scary person that Marie resented for years; a person that would plague her childhood and damage her mindset on self-worth. Marie constantly tried to shield her siblings from the abuse, causing her to get the brunt of her mother's drunken fury. Her mother would leave for days at a time, leaving her father to take care of three children on his own. She had cheated on her father, breaking his heart, and then leaving him and her children to go live a free spirited life of constant adultery. She never kept in touch, but Marie didn't care. She never thought of her mother as a parent, she was just a woman that had given birth to her, that's it. Thinking about all the pain her mother put all of them through made Marie clench her fists as she walked down the street. Her father was going through enough as it was, and she knew that this would just make things worse.

He had asked Marie to forgive her, but she honestly didn't think she could ever bring herself to do so. This woman had made her question herself, her worth, and her esteem her entire life, and had hurt her siblings and her father. Even with her mother's passing, the anger remained.

Marie had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize she'd made it to the outer perimeter of Aldbourne. There was a fence that marked the point where soldiers couldn't pass. The Army was afraid of soldiers going AWOL during their relief period, but despite the repercussions Marie hopped the fence anyway. She walked heavily down the hill, leading to an edge of a small forest. It was the perfect spot for her to be alone and collect her thoughts. Marie sat under a tree, taking out the letter and holding it in her hands. She noticed that the sun was already getting low in the sky. Marie had been walking around longer than she expected, she couldn't believe it was already dusk.

Marie gazed down at the letter, feeling her hands start to tremble again. She could feel a pang of depression in her heart. Deep in her memory she knew there was a time years back when her mother did nurture and care for her. She longed to want to know that woman, but now she'd never have the chance. Guilt mixed into her already crowded feelings of conflicted emotions. She took a deep breath, resting her eyes as she tuned into the silence from where she was sitting. Being out of Aldbourne; out of the "organized" chaotic state that Easy Company was in put Marie's conflicted mind at ease for a moment. She wished she could stay out here, never having to face her friends and telling them what had happened.

Easy Company was still recovering from Carentan; they didn't need any more chaos in their lives at the moment. Since jumping into Normandy things have been difficult to grasp for Marie. She was certain that were the same for everyone else.

_I could hide it, I'd rather them not worry. _Marie thought, absentmindedly twirling a finger through her curled, blonde hair. It would be difficult to mask her emotions, especially in front of Emilia, Malarkey, and Muck. Those three were like mind readers when it came to Marie. She knew if she was gone too long that they'd start to worry, she knew she had to head back soon.

She slid the letter back into her bra, and stood up slowly. She started back, taking her sweet time, trying to delay the best she could. It was getting dark out at this point as the sun began to set. She'd managed to burn a few hours on her own, but she didn't feel any better about her mother's death. She swallowed her bitterness down, trying to calm her expression, practicing for when she'd have to face everyone. She had always kept a lid on her relationship with what her mother was like, and the thought of finally having to come clean made her feel queasy. But she sucked it up and headed toward the pub, knowing that if she didn't show up they'd suspect something.

After several minutes of walking, she was now standing outside the pub. Outside in the dark and quiet streets of Aldbourne, the atmosphere inside the pub was a flurry of life. The lights from inside shown out the window, illuminating a small path on the pavement. The cheerful voices carried far in the wind, all the way down the street. Marie stood outside the window, hugging herself as she peered inside. She didn't want to go inside and down everyone's high spirits, but she forced herself to step in anyway. She placed a thin smile on her face to hide her sadness. She could see that everyone had already gotten a head start on drinking, most were already tipsy. They all gathered around a group of tables, while others played pool. Marie watched from a distance, discomfort creeping its way back into her mind.

"Where the hell have you been?" She heard Emilia's voice say sharply out of nowhere, abruptly interrupting her thoughts. Marie turned to see Emilia, looking extra stunning, crossing her arms with her eyebrows raised.

"I'm sorry, I just wasn't feeling well. I just needed some fresh air." Marie lied.

"You could've told me. You took off without even telling me! You disappeared and now you're an hour late showing up!"

"I know, I'm sorry-" Marie stammered.

Emilia smiled, winking at Marie to signify that she was joking. She tapped her friend on the shoulder, and led her to the noisy table. Marie slid into a seat between Joe Toye and George Luz. Emilia nudged Marie with her elbow to get her to look in Malarkey's direction, but Marie didn't care to be set up for Em's usual 'match-maker' antics.

"You look beautiful." Muck greeted her. She mumbled a thank you, feeling numb to compliments. She placed her hands in her lap, feeling continuously morose. The letter's edges poked and prodded her uncomfortably in her bra, but she didn't reach for it. Muck frowned at her sullenness, but he didn't say a word.

"Here." Malarkey handed her a glass, filled to the brim of some dark liquor. Marie stared at the drink like it was an old enemy. _This _is what caused her mother to transform into the monster that she'd come to know.

"She don't drink, Malark." Guarnere remarked from the pool table, taking a deep drag of a cigarette.

"C'mon, Hun. That stuff ain't free." Toye pressured in a teasing manner.

"I don't know how you can't." Nixon chuckled, picking up her glass and taking a long sip from it. He set it back down in front of her, the men laughing as if it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen. Marie continued to glare at the liquor, transfixed.

"Are you going to try it, or are you just going to stare at it all night." Luz whispered to her.

"I don't think I should."

"C'mon, enjoy yourself! Live a little." Luz clapped her on the back.

"Don't pressure her, Luz." Lip warned, who was also standing by the pool table. Marie glanced around, noticing Christenson and Perconte messing with a gramophone.

"In a little bit, Luz." She told him, getting up and making her way over to Perconte and Christenson.

"Want to help us pick out a song, Hun?" Perconte greeted. "Pat here has a horrible music taste, I'm sure you'd pick a winner." He teased.

"Shut it, Frank." Christenson smiled, giving him a shove. Marie glanced through their choices, happy to have a distraction. She picked up a Glenn Miller record.

"How about _Tuxedo Junction?" _Marie asked. She'd always loved that song, mostly for the joyful memories it produced.

Perconte laughed. "No! We need something livelier, something to really dance to."

Marie continued to go through the records, surprised that the Army was able to supply them with American records. She picked up another one and showed it to Christenson and Perconte. Both men made a face.

"What's wrong with _Pistol Packin' Mama?" _Marie frowned.

"Maybe your music taste was better, Pat." Perconte said to Christenson

"Fine! Then here!" Marie held up an Andrew Sisters record. "We can listen to _Rum and Coca-Cola_, it seems appropriate."

"Now you're talkin'." Perconte laughed. She put the record on and left, noticing that some of the men were already starting to dance poorly. It looked like they were mocking the song. She could see the some of the guys begging Em to dance, but she laughed and shook her head.

Marie watched, mildly amused, but the lingering depression still hung over her head. Finally Nix dragged Em on the floor, he jokingly was serious during the dance, but neither could hold their laughter in. Marie made her way over to the pool table, wishing that the pub provided darts too. She was never very good at playing pool. She leaned against the table, next to Guarnere, Lip, Bull and Martin. They all smirked at Nix and Emilia.

"You think she'll dance with me if I ask her?" Guarnere ventured aloud.

"You're going to have to get in line with the rest of the company." Bull chuckled, taking the cigar out of his mouth.

Marie wished Tab was here so he could dance with Emilia. Marie knew that _he _was the one that she really wanted to dance with. Seeing those two together might just pull her out of her sour state.

"You should wait for a slow dance opportunity." Martin commented, taking a shot with his pool stick.

"Hun." Guarnere barked.

"Hm?"

"Do you think Em will dance with me?"

"I dunno, go ask her." Marie shrugged.

"Play _Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy!" _Muck suggested. The record was changed into the lively tune, and more got up to dance to it. Marie was so caught up in observing everyone else having a good time that she didn't notice Malarkey was now standing beside her.

"Want to dance, Hun?" He asked.

"That a boy, Malark." Guarnere chimed.

"No, I'm not good at dancing." Marie muttered, shaking her head.

"Come on." He took her head, trying to lead her to the now proclaimed dance floor. "I'll show you, it's about having fun anyway." Marie gave in, feeling self-conscious and stiff. "Get loose, here just do what everyone else is doing."

"Everyone's drunk." She chuckled.

The antics of everyone's flailing limbs and off beat rhythm made Marie genuinely smile. Malarkey was trying his best to make her laugh, and to her surprise it was working. The dancing commenced until the song was over, but Perconte replayed it. Marie was fully aware of Malarkey's hand entwined in hers, and his arm around her waist. He was close enough where she could see his light freckles on his face in detail. She blushed, averting her eyes from his grinning face down to their feet.

He stopped dancing a moment, his eyes downcast. She followed his stare down. The letter had come out, and was poking out. She bit her lip, releasing her grip on his hand to take it out. She cursed herself for not leaving it back in her hotel room.

"What's that?"

"It's nothing." She muttered, feeling even more flustered than before. All of the horrible feelings rushed back as the letter reminded her of her mother's death.

"What's wrong?" Malarkey asked her, now looking concerned.

Marie knew that she wouldn't be able to hide it from him any longer. She held out the letter to him, not looking at his face. She felt that if she did, she'd burst out into tears in the middle of the dance floor. She felt him take it and heard the rustling of the paper as he unfolded it.

"Oh, Marie…" She heard him gasp. She felt him gently pull her away from the crowd, outside of the pub. Some English women sauntered their way in, Marie could hear the whistles of approval before the doors closed.

"Are you okay?" Malarkey asked her.

Marie didn't answer, she was afraid of taking about it. Talking about it would only leave her reliving it.

"I really don't want to talk about it, Don. I just want to move on and not focus on it anymore than I already have." Marie replied coldly.

"But… that's your mother." Malarkey retorted.

"You don't understand." Marie forced her voice to remain even. "I think I'll call it a night." She started to walk away, in the direction of the hotel.

"Do you want to talk about it? Jesus, I mean-"

"Just drop it. She wasn't much of a mom."

"I'll walk you back." He insisted, catching up to her quick strides. "Why didn't you want to tell anyone?"

"Because… talking about it will only make me feel worse and…" She choked on the words a moment. They both stopped walking as she tried to explain. "It'll bring back all the terrible memories…" She placed her hand gently on his cheek. "Go enjoy yourself. This could be the last time the company will have of freedom before we're called out onto the field again."

He wrapped his fingers around her wrist, and lightly pulled her hand off his face. "How do you expect me to enjoy myself when I know you're mourning the loss of your mother?"

Marie sighed, understanding where he was coming from. If she were in his place she wouldn't want to leave him to go celebrate in a pub. She was grateful that he cared so much, but she didn't want to be comforted.

"I'm walking you back." He pressed. She knew that there was nothing she could do to stop him from coming along.

* * *

Malarkey escorted her all the way to Marie's room, the two of them now standing in front of the hotel door. She felt the mixed emotions coming back, knowing that she'd have to get in the room soon or she'd break down right in front of him. She didn't want to do that, it would only make him worry.

"Thank you, Don. Good night." Marie mumbled, unlocking and opening her door.

Malarkey didn't budge.

"You can return to the pub now."

"I don't know, I just…" He paused, scratching the back of his head. "It just doesn't feel right leaving you here all alone after what's happened."

"I'm going to be alright. I just need more time to myself. I wasn't exactly close to my mom, Malark, it won't take me too long to get over it."

"If you don't mind me asking, Marie…. what did she do to make you to make you so bitter?"

Marie thought about her mother striking her across the face. She'd done that a few times, sometimes right when Marie would come home from school. She'd called her useless, fat, and stupid. She knew that her mother was just being a bully, but he words stung and had haunted her for years. Her self-esteem had been shattered, even after her mother left to go live off with the men she had affairs with. But her mother's negativity was one of the reasons worked her ass off in school to get the Latin honor _cum laude _and graduate at the top of her class. She'd done it to prove her mother wrong.

The memories made anger and sadness rise to Marie's throat. She felt tears form in her eyes. One was already running down her cheek as she waited to find the right words to respond to Malarkey. She quickly wiped her watery eyes, careful not to smear her makeup.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Marie whispered. "I need to go to sleep now."

"Marie-"

"I'll be okay, I promise. I would just rather forget about it… about everything." With that being said, she closed her hotel door softly, leaving Malarkey still standing at the doorway. Part of her wanted to let him in, but she knew solitude was always the answer for her.


End file.
